Chapter 493: Got Without Any Effort

Under Lao Changtai's careful attention, Huang Yingying finally slowly recovered. The moment he saw Wu Jinliang, he immediately burst into tears, wailing, "Master Gao, it's all my fault. I don't want those fifty gold coins anymore; they're all in my pocket. Take them, please let me go, okay?"

Wu Jinliang pointed his dagger. "Can you speak properly?"

Huang Yingying immediately stopped crying and said mournfully, "I've always been speaking properly; it's you who haven't given me a chance to."

Wu Jinliang didn't like this. He pointed at the assassins and said, "You claim you don't know them. Is that what you call speaking properly?"

"Alright," Huang Yingying thought, no longer feeling wronged. Even on his disfigured face, a hint of awkwardness could be seen. He continued to plead, "Master Gao, we've known each other for a while, we've eaten, drunk, had fun, and visited brothels together. You can't just turn your back on our relationship and pretend you don't know me!"

They had such a relationship? Lao Changtai turned to look at Wu Jinliang, finding this aspect believable.

Wu Jinliang flicked his dagger. "Don't stray off topic. Tell me, what's this about Lord Axun having 'Death-Defying Incense'? If you can't explain it clearly..." He reached out, tugged on a strand of his messy hair, and with a pull of the blade, it snapped. "...our friendship ends here."

Huang Yingying said with a mournful face, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. The moment I mentioned the 'Death-Defying Incense,' you hit me. If I kept talking, I'd surely die by your hand. How could I dare continue?"

Wu Jinliang felt a bit awkward too, but thankfully, he held the power now. If he wasn't embarrassed, others would be upset. He grunted, "This time, speak properly and clearly. How do you know Lord Axun has 'Death-Defying Incense'?"

Huang Yingying sighed, "That corpse transformation incident back then was actually caused by him."

Wu Jinliang and Lao Changtai exchanged glances.

Not just them, even the surviving assassins were stunned to hear this.

Lao Changtai suddenly spoke in his normal voice, asking, "How do you know Lord Axun caused it?"

Only then did he realize he hadn't disguised his voice.

Huang Yingying sighed, "As soon as he arrived in Dazhi City, I noticed him. I found that he sometimes bought strange things, which made me pay even more attention. I then discovered he often slipped out of the city secretly. I didn't know where he was going, but I felt he must have gone somewhere specific. To find that place, I spent a lot of time and effort, and finally located his secret stronghold..."

"Wait..." Lao Changtai, growing suspicious, interrupted him. "Why were you paying such close attention to him? Considering your respective statuses, how could you be connected? Just because he bought some strange things, you decided to track him and investigate his privacy?"

Wu Jinliang fully understood his companion's suspicion, but he knew this old fellow's nature. So he intervened, "Let him speak, let him speak." Then he turned to Huang Yingying and said, "It's fine, you continue."

Now that the big man was finally allowing him to speak properly, Huang Yingying was almost moved to tears. After a faint sob, he even spoke up for Lao Changtai, saying, "This brother is right. Initially, I just noticed him. The real reason I tracked him was indeed because of the things he bought, combined with his background, which aroused my suspicion."

Wu Jinliang asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Huang Yingying explained, "Because I happened to know what materials are needed to refine 'Death-Defying Incense,' and the main ingredient comes from Divine Mountain, and Lord Axun also comes from Divine Mountain, that's why I suspected he had a secret stronghold somewhere outside the city, and why I risked tracking him.When I first noticed him, I inquired about him among the people in the city and on the mountain. I knew he had a keen sense of smell, so to track him, I even applied something to myself to mask my scent. I also tried my best to approach from downwind, and combined with my burrowing technique, my efforts finally paid off..."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Wu Jinliang, who had been bewildered, snapped out of it. Seeing him still rattling on, he quickly stopped him and pressed, "I didn't mishear, did I? You know the materials required to refine 'Death-Defying Incense'?"

Huang Yingying hummed in affirmation.

Wu Jinliang continued, "So, can I take that to mean you can refine 'Death-Defying Incense'?"

Huang Yingying mumbled, "I know the method, but I haven't refined it."

Wu Jinliang again brandished the knife in his hand. "You old fellow, you haven't figured out we're after the 'Death-Defying Incense' and are saying this just to save your skin, have you?"

Huang Yingying frantically defended himself, "No, no, absolutely not! Everything I'm saying is the absolute truth. May I be struck by five bolts of lightning if I utter a single lie."

In truth, he knew perfectly well that he was indeed saying this intentionally for that very reason.

Wu Jinliang bared his teeth and gestured, "Haven't you told enough lies already?"

Huang Yingying said nervously, "This time it's absolutely true. The method for refining 'Death-Defying Incense' isn't difficult. The real challenge is finding one crucial main ingredient. This material is called 'Soul-Reversing Tree,' and it grows on Divine Mountain."

Lao Changtai had no reaction to this, but Wu Jinliang reacted strongly, asking in surprise, "'Soul-Reversing Tree' doesn't grow on 'Divine Bird Mountain,' does it?"

Huang Yingying, on the other hand, stated it as a matter of course, "Divine Mountain used to be called 'Divine Bird Mountain'."

"Huh?" Wu Jinliang exclaimed, "Divine Mountain is Divine Bird Mountain? This—a name with just one word different—who the hell gave it such a confusing name?"

No wonder he was cursing; he'd been searching for that place for so long, only to find it was right under his nose. It was ridiculous.

Huang Yingying explained, "Divine Mountain's earliest name was 'Divine Bird Mountain.' It was originally the territory of the Phoenix Clan of Phoenix-Kirin Continent. Later, a master took a liking to 'Divine Bird Mountain,' defeated the Phoenix Clan, forcibly occupied it, and renamed it 'Golden Palace Mountain,' enslaving the Phoenix Clan. Afterward, that master was slain by the Demon Ancestor, and the Phoenix Clan reoccupied 'Golden Palace Mountain.' To avenge their humiliation, the Phoenix Clan has enslaved that master's descendants for generations. They also changed the name of 'Golden Palace Mountain' back to 'Divine Bird Mountain.' Later, they seemingly found 'Divine Bird Mountain' too common, so they began calling it 'Divine Mountain'..."

He paused, noticing Wu Jinliang's expression seemed extremely abnormal—a distorted, dazed look, occasionally baring his teeth. This made him wary, and he quickly said, "Everything I'm saying is the truth, not a single lie. If you don't believe me, you can check."

Wu Jinliang let out a "heh." Check what, he thought. If he could have verified it, he wouldn't be here chattering with this old fellow. He swallowed hard, then regained his composure and asked, "You just said Divine Mountain is Divine Bird Mountain, which is Golden Palace Mountain?"

Huang Yingying replied weakly, "Yes, there's absolutely no mistake about that."

Lao Changtai also looked at Wu Jinliang with a suspicious expression, unsure what this big "heh heh" meant.

Wu Jinliang asked again, "Was the master who enslaved the Phoenix Clan named Jin Zhan?"

Huang Yingying immediately uttered a sincere compliment, "Master Gao truly has remarkable insight! To know even that—hardly anyone today knows the names of such ancient figures."

Wu Jinliang suddenly stood up and walked out of the cave with large strides, leaving Huang Yingying and Lao Changtai somewhat bewildered by his actions.

Lao Changtai didn't know what was wrong with him, so he also got up and followed. Outside the cave, he found Wu Jinliang acting as if he'd taken the wrong medicine, vigorously scratching his head with his left hand, then switching to his right, pacing back and forth frenetically like a madman.

Then, he slapped his hands on his face, cried out, "No, that's not right!" and quickly turned and rushed back into the cave.

What wasn't right? Lao Changtai followed him back inside to see.

Wu Jinliang had already squatted in front of Huang Yingying again, grabbing the small tuft of beard on his chin. "Old Huang, I remember asking you if you'd heard of 'Divine Bird Mountain,' and you said you hadn't. I also asked you about the corpse transformation back then, and you said you weren't clear. Old fellow, now you know everything, even what happened in someone's ancestral tomb, and you still dare to say you weren't fooling me?"

Huang Yingying immediately protested, "Of course I'd say I didn't know! I couldn't possibly reveal that Lord Axun was refining 'Death-Defying Incense,' could I?"

Wu Jinliang tugged hard on his beard. "Then what was so unspeakable about 'Divine Bird Mountain'?"

If he had told them earlier, how much trouble would he and Shi Chun have been spared?

Huang Yingying said with a pained expression, "I come from the clan that has been enslaved by the Phoenix Clan for generations. I finally managed to get released from the foot of Divine Mountain, and I truly didn't want to bring up the past of 'Divine Bird Mountain.' When I first met you, we weren't very familiar, and I didn't know if you were sent by Divine Mountain to test me, so I didn't dare to say much. It wasn't intentional deceit."

Wu Jinliang was stunned again. He released Huang Yingying's beard, then cupped his disfigured face with both hands, asking in surprise and doubt, "So, you are a descendant of Jin Zhan?"

Huang Yingying, whose cheeks were held, mumbled, "There's no such thing as descendants or non-descendants anymore. Our ancestor's glory is long gone. Now, I'm just living a humble existence. I'm actually doing well, having escaped my enslaved status. My clansmen at the foot of Divine Mountain, however, have known no peace for generations."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk..." Wu Jinliang clicked his tongue for a while, then continued to hold Huang Yingying's face, examining it for a bit longer before letting go. "Honestly, you truly don't show any trace of your ancestors' glory. You're old enough to be close to the grave, and you haven't even reached High Martial cultivation. I'm truly impressed by you."

Huang Yingying sighed, "Master Gao, incompetence can also be a blessing. If I weren't incompetent, how could Divine Mountain have granted me freedom? I would probably still be enslaved at the foot of Divine Mountain right now, and you and I would never have met."

"No fate, fate..." Wu Jinliang stared at him, muttering for a while. Suddenly, he rolled over to the side, sat on the ground, leaned against the cave wall with his knees clasped, and buried his head, chuckling incessantly.

He truly hadn't expected it. What he was looking for either had no clues and remained unfound, or suddenly everything burst out at once.

He really hadn't imagined that all of this had been right beside him the whole time, that he'd encountered it in a brothel, and such an absurd thing. If this wasn't fate, what was it?

The thought made him laugh. He wondered what Shi Chun's reaction would be when he found out. In the future, if Shi Chun advised him to visit brothels less, he'd finally have something to say for himself.

Lao Changtai didn't know what he was laughing about. His "heh heh" had turned into "ha ha."

After finally recovering, Wu Jinliang leaned his head against the wall, waving his hand cheerfully and idly, saying, "Old Huang, go on, continue telling us about Lord Axun."

"'Soul-Reversing Trees' rarely appear as mature trees now; before maturity, they remain soul entities. Even people on Divine Mountain find them hard to locate. I reckon Lord Axun's ability to find that refining ingredient is likely tied to his keen sense of smell..."