Chapter 522: Mist

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Poyuan was still nearby, in the vicinity of the exit. After seeing off the Blazing Fire Sect group from the mountain gate, he noticed Lou Xiu's arrival. Lou Xiu, however, wasn't in a hurry to enter the gate, so Poyuan concealed himself nearby, curious to see what Lou Xiu intended to do.

His particular interest in Lou Xiu stemmed from the Dazhicheng incident. He agreed with Li Xianghong, the city lord of Dazhicheng, that Lou Xiu was likely involved in A-Xun's death. However, they had no evidence, and Lou Xiu had powerful protectors. Consequently, not only did he face no repercussions, but he was also transferred to the more advantageous Yaoshan City as an inner court inspector.

It was impossible not to have an opinion on such an outcome, but as the saying goes, "He has powerful connections, so you need evidence for everything!" It was precisely this secret observation that revealed an anomaly: he discovered another familiar face from Dazhicheng, the attendant from the Dazhicheng library, whose name he even remembered—Wang Ping!

Only a few days had passed since the shocking incident in Dazhicheng. He had paid attention to everyone in the Chaoyue Library and was naturally familiar with this attendant, Shi Chun. Moreover, he had specifically observed him that night, so he wouldn't mistake him for anyone else. What was an attendant from the library doing here, and how did he even get into Shenshan? What was going on?

Filled with suspicion, he then fixed his gaze on Wu Jinliang. He didn't know Wu Jinliang, but his appearance clearly matched the description of the "tall visitor" from the Northern District who was about to leave, a description he had just heard. It was clear that Lou Xiu and Jiang You'er were very polite to the tall man, chatting and laughing amiably, while the library attendant stood by, still looking like an attendant. His gaze darted back and forth between Lou Xiu and Shi Chun. Could the presence of two people from Dazhicheng here be related to the upheaval in Dazhicheng?

He had no evidence, only suspicions. He could only continue to observe and couldn't easily question them, otherwise he would face an internal struggle within Shenshan! Once a struggle began, peaceful coexistence would be difficult. Internal conflicts were sometimes more brutal and grueling than open warfare.

Outside the mountain gate, Lou Xiu had also just seen the Blazing Fire Sect members depart, but he didn't inform Shi Chun or Wu Jinliang. Instead, he politely exchanged farewell pleasantries with Wu Jinliang. There were, of course, also attempts to persuade them to stay. However, for some inexplicable reason, Shi Chun suddenly felt a sense of alarm regarding this send-off and departure. He hadn't consciously noticed anything specific, but he sensed something was amiss in the overall sequence of events.

After the polite farewells, Shi Chun activated his wind-scaled transport, sweeping Wu Jinliang up, and they ascended into the sky. While still ascending, Shi Chun used his right eye's ability to survey the surroundings below. Their flight path suddenly veered into a "C" shape in the air, changing course mid-flight to head directly back towards Yaoshan City.

Wu Jinliang asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"

Shi Chun replied, "Someone's watching us, it looks like the Blazing Fire Sect. They're a bit far, so I can't clearly see their source of power. If it really is the Blazing Fire Sect, we won't get away like this." He wasn't certain, but the alarm he felt prompted him to act cautiously.

Wu Jinliang's expression instantly turned grim. With Celestial Immortal realm masters from the Blazing Fire Sect present, if they were targeted, even with earth-escape techniques, Wu Jinliang's current cultivation level would offer no chance of escape under their watchful eyes. Not to mention Celestial Immortals, even Earth Immortals, normally wouldn't be able to escape using earth-escape techniques without a magical artifact to counter. The problem was that their Grade Five magical artifacts could at most contend with Earth Immortals. Against Celestial Immortal masters whose power permeated heaven and earth, their artifacts could be shattered with a flick of a finger.

In front of the mountain gate, Jiang You'er, watching them depart, whispered, "Are we really letting them get away so easily?"

Lou Xiu chuckled softly, "They won't escape. As soon as you gave me the information, I reported it to the Master. These two are unpredictable; even the Master can't figure out their methods, and their trickery is well-known. Fearing the situation might get out of hand, it was decided to play with them differently. Someone has already leaked information to the Blazing Fire Sect. I personally saw their forces leave earlier, so they've probably set up a net outside. With Celestial Immortal masters personally overseeing it, escape is virtually impossible once they're targeted."

Jiang You'er's face showed understanding. He murmured, "Oh, so we'll wait for them to make their move before we intervene to rescue them."

Lou Xiu replied, "Whether we rescue them or not is another matter. The Master wants to see if there are shadows of the other two factions behind them. If they are truly fellow practitioners, then their secretive actions this time must have the backing of one of those factions. If they face danger, someone will naturally step in. If no one intervenes, we can let the Blazing Fire Sect extract information from them, and then it won't be too late to decide whether to act."

Jiang You'er mused, "I just worry we might lose track of them and won't be able to keep up."

"They won't get lost, and I don't think we'll even need to follow..." Lou Xiu said, glancing around before leaning closer to Jiang You'er's ear and whispering, "If I'm not mistaken, we might have someone among the high-ranking members of the Blazing Fire Sect. Where they're captured, what they confess—none of it can be hidden from our superiors. Whether to save them or not is simply a decision for those above."

Jiang You'er suddenly understood. He looked around as well and whispered back, "This kind of talk should stay between us. If it gets out, you and I might not fare well."

"Of course, I trust you, Brother Jiang." Lou Xiu flattered him softly, but inwardly he scoffed. If the other person weren't an inner disciple and he an outer one, why would he bother flattering him?

"What's happening with them?" Jiang You'er suddenly exclaimed, seeing the wind-scaled light piloted by Shi Chun's group abruptly turn back towards Yaoshan City.

Lou Xiu was also startled and immediately said, "I'll go check," before leaving.

Jiang You'er watched him fly away.

Inside the mountain gate, Poyuan, hidden in the shadows, was pondering something else: Was the sudden departure of the Blazing Fire Sect members related to the departure of those two just now? He had been nearby when Qiu Ben heard the news of their departure. He wasn't sure if Qiu Ben's sudden halt and change of mind at that moment was a coincidence or a decision made after hearing the news. At the time, he had only a slight suspicion but didn't take it seriously. It wasn't until he saw the attendant from the library just now, and Lou Xiu's assistance, that the suppressed resentment from Dazhicheng, where people were forced into silence, began to churn within him again.

Having encountered people who made him take notice, he started paying attention to Qiu Ben's unusual behavior. He couldn't help but wonder, if Qiu Ben's sudden change of mind wasn't a coincidence but was related to knowing their whereabouts, then the Blazing Fire Sect's visit to the mountain this time would certainly be interesting. Thinking this, he took out a mother-child talisman and sent an inquiry directly to Li Xianghong, the city lord of Dazhicheng: "That attendant surnamed Wang from Chaoyue Pavilion, please help me check his detailed information."

Li Xianghong's response was quick: "Why are you looking into him? He's already left Chaoyue Pavilion and was recruited by Bai Qiru to Bai Clan Rice Shop. He seems to be outside currently, arranging for supplies."

"Bai Clan Rice Shop..." Poyuan mumbled, stunned, and instinctively looked towards the main peak. He naturally knew that Grandmother Qi, the current head of the Bai clan, had just arrived at Shenshan. How did the Bai Clan Rice Shop get involved? He was filled with suspicion. Could Grandmother Qi's arrival also be connected to this? He felt as if he had suddenly plunged into a thick fog, unable to see through it or understand anything. He became even more hesitant to act rashly. Although Grandmother Qi had served as a servant in the Phoenix Clan for many years, her influence within the clan, while not enough to decide his life or death with a single word, could certainly affect his future.

On the peak of Dazhicheng, Li Xianghong, who had been waiting for a reply for a long time, paced to a pavilion on the edge of the mountain, still holding the mother-child talisman. Her gaze searched and focused on the direction of the Bai Clan Rice Shop. She knew that Poyuan's sudden inquiry about an attendant was likely not without reason...

In Yaoshan City, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, who had landed outside the city gate, quickly entered. Upon entering the city gate, they exchanged a quick glance and a tilt of the head, then turned into a nearby wine shop. They went upstairs, found a suitable window seat, and ordered a pot of tea.

Soon after, several people, seemingly dressed in various attires, arrived hurriedly outside the city gate. After entering, they also looked around, then subtly began searching through the streets and alleys. Shi Chun's right eye ability immediately identified these people as disciples of the Blazing Fire Sect. He drew back his head and quietly told Wu Jinliang opposite him, "That's right, they're from the Blazing Fire Sect."

Wu Jinliang cursed under his breath, "Damn it, are they staking us out?"

Shi Chun, however, connected this with the alarm he had felt during Lou Xiu's send-off earlier. He pondered, then reminded Wu Jinliang, "I wonder if someone leaked the news of our departure. I don't know if it's connected to Lou Xiu and his people."

"What do you mean?" Wu Jinliang was visibly startled. He lowered his head and leaned forward on the table, whispering, "That doesn't make sense, does it? This is his territory; he wouldn't need all this trouble if he wanted to move against us. If that were the case, once he ordered strict checks on all personnel entering and exiting the city gates, we probably wouldn't be able to leave the city, not even disguised." His concern was valid. Every city had array formations for protection. If fully activated, these formations could seal the city. Even if not fully activated, the regular separation between inside and outside the city wasn't just for show; at the very least, it was impossible for people to freely burrow in and out underground, making earth-escape techniques useless. Unless absolutely necessary, no one would risk being chased down by forcefully flying out through the air.

"He's already here," Shi Chun suddenly said, craning his head to look out the window.

Wu Jinliang also stealthily peeked out. He saw Lou Xiu, who had just entered the city, look around and then beckon a city gate guard over to say something. Shi Chun, however, called over an attendant, handed him some money, and asked him to hire a carriage. A short while later, a carriage arrived outside the wine shop. Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang seized the opportunity to exit the shop and get into the carriage. Before boarding, Shi Chun instructed the coachman, "To Zhulang Pavilion."

"Right away," the coachman replied, and drove off.

On a small peak in the main mountain range of Shenshan, the woods were serene, and the pavilions and terraces were picturesque. An old man with flowing white hair and beard, dressed in a black robe, arrived outside the courtyard gate, requesting to see Grandmother Qi, who had recently settled in. This elder was Yin Fei, one of the three mountain patrols of the Central Region.

Grandmother Qi, as always, was polite. Upon hearing of his arrival, she personally came out to greet him, so exceptionally courteous that Yin Fei repeatedly said he wouldn't dare. The two walked in together and took their seats in the main hall. After a few brief pleasantries, Grandmother Qi dismissed all her attendants.

Yin Fei's tone also changed, and he whispered, "Those two have just left the mountain. The place where they stayed is already being cleaned up; they said they've left and won't be returning."

Grandmother Qi was surprised and asked, "What about Huang Yingying?"

Yin Fei replied, "He's still here."

Grandmother Qi stood dumbfounded. Weren't those two here for Huang Yingying? They left without even meeting him? And she had traveled all this way for nothing.