The people at Mount Building Residence were quite surprised to find that Xi Yunqing and Chen Xiao were now addressing each other as brothers. It wasn't that they weren't familiar with each other before, Xi Yunqing had always treated Chen Xiao somewhat differently, and everyone had seen that. But suddenly, their closeness had taken such a turn, and it made others feel uneasy. However, no matter how they tried to probe, they couldn't get anything out of Chen Xiao. And Xi Yunqing's usual intimidating presence made people hesitant to ask such personal questions. Anyone bold enough to try would likely be met with a very unpleasant response.
Wu Qing, however, didn't concern himself with this peculiar change in their relationship. He went straight to Xi Yunqing, asking for his help to check on the situation in Hanshan City. Within Mount Building Residence, Du Rong had too low of a cultivation level, Tong Nuonuo was constantly getting lost, Chen Xiao was just an ordinary mortal, and Ah Shou had a bounty on his head. Only Xi Yunqing could handle such a task. If it weren't for the fact that his meridians hadn't fully healed, limiting his strength, Wu Qing wouldn't have needed to ask Xi Yunqing for help, he could have simply returned and infiltrated the city himself.
Xi Yunqing didn't decline and agreed to help. He was already quite concerned about the follow-up to this matter, and he also had a task related to investigating the movement of fierce beasts. He could conveniently visit Zhishi Hall while gathering information, so it made sense to combine the two.
Xi Yunqing was gone for an entire day. When he returned, not only was Wu Qing concerned, but Chen Xiao and Du Rong also brought Tong Nuonuo to the East Courtyard to hear the news.
Xi Yunqing had cleaned up, changed into a new set of clothes, and his hair was still damp. Upon seeing them arrive, he quickly motioned for them to come into the living room.
"Immortal Master Xi, have you learned anything about them?" Wu Qing asked, a bit eagerly.
One of the people from before had been familiar to him, and there was some connection between their sects. They had met a few times. Wu Qing had entrusted his identity card to that person. When they first met in Changjia Village, Du Rong had given him the identity card he found on a dead body. After looking at it, Wu Qing realized it wasn't one of his acquaintances, even though it was part of the group. Based on the color of the clothing on the dismembered body with only one leg left, he guessed it wasn't the person he knew either. "Live to see the person, dead to see the body," Wu Qing thought. He always felt that person was still alive. If he could survive such a dire situation, the others should also be able to survive and return to Hanshan City.
Xi Yunqing shook his head. "Everything seems normal in Hanshan City, and I couldn't find any news about them."
Wu Qing's expression shifted to one of disappointment, but he quickly regained his composure. "If they really did go to Hanshan City, they must have felt the same way I do now, uncertain about the situation and not wanting to show themselves."
Chen Xiao didn't have the heart to reveal the truth. He suspected that those people might not have fared well. He asked, "Big Brother, what's the road like from the valley to Hanshan City? Were there any issues?"
Xi Yunqing replied, "No issues. The journey went smoothly, without any ambushes."
The fact that there were no ambushes meant that the enemy didn't feel the need to continue guarding against or hunting them. It indirectly suggested that those who could pose a threat to them were all dead.
Wu Qing's face grew grim. Du Rong, feeling sympathetic, said, "Wu Xianshi, don't be sad. We'll definitely avenge them and reveal the truth to the world. Once we report this to Zhishi Hall, they won't let those people off the hook!"
Wu Qing nodded darkly, "That's right. We'll make sure to wipe them all out!" He then turned his determined gaze to Xi Yunqing. "Wu will take his leave now! Thank you, Immortal Master Xi, for your help. Once this matter is resolved, I'll come back to repay you."
Xi Yunqing responded indifferently, "As fellow cultivators, it's only right to help each other in times of danger. There's no need to speak of repayment."
With Wu Qing rising, the others followed suit. Chen Xiao turned to Xi Yunqing, saying, "Big Brother, I'll also say my goodbyes here."
Xi Yunqing seemed a bit surprised. He asked, "Didn't you find the stay here unpleasant?"
Chen Xiao smiled. "Not at all. This journey of training has been a great experience for me. Of course, the greatest benefit has been meeting you, Big Brother. But I still have things to take care of in Hanshan City, so I can't stay at Mount Building Residence as a guest forever. However, I'll still drop by whenever I get the chance."
Xi Yunqing saw that Chen Xiao was determined to leave, so he nodded. "Very well, in that case, let's travel together. I'm actually quite interested in this matter myself. Since I've already gotten involved, I'll see it through to the end."
Wu Qing's face lit up with joy. "With Immortal Master Xi's assistance, this will be much easier!" Du Rong also looked pleased. "That's great!" Tong Nuonuo didn't express much opinion.
Chen Xiao smiled on the outside, but inwardly, he felt strange. The conversation had turned so abruptly! When Wu Qing mentioned going to Hanshan City, Xi Yunqing hadn't shown any indication of wanting to join, but as soon as Chen Xiao said he was returning, Xi Yunqing suddenly expressed interest in the matter and wanted to get involved.
This wasn't the first time Chen Xiao found this odd. He couldn't help but wonder why this "Big Brother" always seemed to want to be involved in everything he did. He wasn't narcissistic enough to think it was because of ulterior motives from Xi Yunqing, but he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable not understanding the other's intentions.
Xi Yunqing seemed to sense Chen Xiao's unease and asked, "Chen Xiao, what do you think?"
Chen Xiao certainly couldn't object with everyone else welcoming him, so he said, "I'd be happy to travel with you, Big Brother."
Xi Yunqing smiled slightly, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. Seeing that Chen Xiao was genuinely happy to travel together, it made Chen Xiao think back to the time at the port outside Nian City, when he had seen Xi Yunqing standing alone, watching a ship leave the harbor.
Chen Xiao felt a slight pain in his chest and began to understand the other person's feelings. Perhaps it was because he had been alone for so long, and it was rare to meet someone he could connect with, making it hard to part ways and return to solitude. Xi Yunqing clearly lacked friendship!
As for why Xi Yunqing was like this, it still stemmed from the same reason as before, he wanted to observe Chen Xiao closely to understand why Chen Xiao was unaffected by the bad luck he had brought upon others. Of course, there was also the desire to spend more time with a newly acquainted friend, but it wasn't a major concern. In the cultivation world, people didn't dwell on farewells; there was no real sense of reluctance. After all, life was long after cultivation, and there would always be opportunities to meet again, with plenty of time to spend together.
When they all had to leave suddenly, Ah Shou was initially a little flustered. However, Xi Yunqing said to him, "Focus on your cultivation and don't leave the valley easily. I'll come back every few days to bring food. Your main responsibility is to take care of them and make sure nothing happens. If you need anything, feel free to report to me."
Ah Shou had already been assigned to manage these people, and with this heavy responsibility from Xi Yunqing, he immediately felt a surge of responsibility. He nodded seriously, "Immortal Master, don't worry. Ah Shou will not disappoint you. I will take good care of the disciples and wait for your return."
After giving his instructions to Ah Shou, Xi Yunqing, Chen Xiao, and the others set off immediately. The journey, which had been delayed for over a month due to Chen Xiao's tendency to wander and change direction through the mountains, now had them heading straight for Hanshan City. This time, however, it only took about ten days to reach their destination.
When Chen Xiao and Du Rong left, they hadn't canceled the lease on their rented courtyard, so the group returned with him. The place wasn't large, with only a few rooms, but thankfully, there were only five of them, so everyone had their own room.
After settling in, Wu Qing couldn't even rest before he wanted to go to Zhishi Hall to report to Li Xianshi and his group. But Du Rong stopped him, saying, "It might not be wise to go there rashly. How about we disguise ourselves first?" Du Rong was worried that if those people hadn't given up, they might have people waiting at Zhishi Hall. If they found out that Wu Qing was still alive, it would be dangerous for both Tong Nuonuo and them. Immortal Master Xi was alone, but the others were all at the Ninth Layer of the Golden Core and had several more Golden Core cultivators. They were no match for them.
Although Wu Qing appeared like a reckless big man, he was actually quite sharp when it came to details. He had just been too excited earlier to think things through, but now, after the reminder, he quickly made some adjustments to his disguise. It wasn't much of a disguise, just a change of robes and a hat with a wide brim pulled down to cover the upper half of his face.
Chen Xiao felt somewhat powerless. It was like a celebrity wearing sunglasses and thinking no one would recognize them. People who knew him would still recognize him. But Chen Xiao didn't have a better way to disguise him and couldn't persuade Wu Qing otherwise, so the group had to leave like that.
Upon arriving at Zhishi Hall, it was still bustling as usual. Although people left every day to take on tasks, there were always new arrivals, and the flow of people never seemed to lessen.
The five of them split into two groups at the entrance. Wu Qing, Tong Nuonuo, and Xi Yunqing went to meet with the higher-ups of Zhishi Hall. Since Wu Qing and Tong Nuonuo were directly involved, and Xi Yunqing had previously received related tasks and was a witness, he went with them. Chen Xiao and Du Rong didn't have the same level of involvement, so they stayed in the lobby. Although they were connected to the matter, they didn't have the same weight in speaking as Xi Yunqing did. Besides, there was no need for all five of them to go.
Coincidentally, they had received tasks for their training, so Du Rong suggested they go and report the tasks, settling the rewards.
Chen Xiao watched as they disappeared into the crowd, then followed Du Rong to the task submission area.
Chen Xiao said, "We've been out on this task for more than three months. Do you think someone has already turned it in?"
Du Rong smiled, "No, the task was posted in winter. It was likely a long-term task placed by a newly graduated Talisman Master. He probably didn't know that Shíxiàn Grass is hard to find in winter, so the reward wasn't very high. In other seasons, spring, summer, and autumn, many low-level cultivators would be eager to earn this small sum. It's a normal task."
When they arrived at the task submission area, they saw that the Shíxiàn Grass task was still available. Du Rong handed over the Shíxiàn Grass and received exactly twenty spirit coins.
Then, Du Rong took Chen Xiao to another quieter hall with fewer people. He whispered to Chen Xiao, "This is the exchange center of Zhishi Hall. You can exchange materials for spirit coins or pearls, or vice versa. However, exchanging for materials directly isn't very cost-effective. If it's not urgent, people would rather post a task than come here and get overcharged." After a pause, Du Rong added, "Although they add a markup, the items here are more complete and the latest."
The two of them came here to sell Zhè Yíng Grass, a high-grade spiritual herb used in both weapon forging and alchemy. It would fetch a higher price at a stall or a specialized herbal shop, but with the large quantity they had brought back, only Zhishi Hall could take it all at once.
Sure enough, when they presented a large box of Zhè Yíng Grass, the staff at Zhishi Hall gave it a quick evaluation without changing their expression. By the way, this large box had been provided by Tong Nuonuo, who had kept it in his mechanism box. So, this journey would have been much more difficult without Tong Nuonuo.
They had several dozen pounds of Zhè Yíng Grass, and Zhishi Hall bought it for twenty spirit pearls. Du Rong was very satisfied with this price. Based on the distribution ratio, Chen Xiao would get eight pearls. It made him realize that such a reward after just one training trip was no wonder so many cultivators tirelessly ran to dangerous places. It was truly a balance of risk and reward.
While things went smoothly for them, Wu Qing wasn't as fortunate. After waiting at the entrance for a long time, the three finally emerged. Leading the group was a dejected Wu Qing, followed by a flustered Tong Nuonuo and an expressionless Xi Yunqing.