"Precisely. This matter has already caused undercurrents to surge among the Four Great Sects. While my 'Gui Qu Lai Xi' has shops throughout the territories of the Four Great Sects, we are not a vassal force to any of you. However, the upper echelons of our establishment maintain close ties with the Four Great Sects. Moreover, our Great Elder, in particular, has a very close relationship with a certain top-tier cultivator from your Malevolent Spirit Sect. That is how this collaboration came to be."
"You're saying your Great Elder has a close relationship with a Spirit Transformation cultivator from my sect?" Li Yan was greatly shocked and couldn't help but ask. He had once heard Li Wuyi speculate that the Malevolent Spirit Sect might have had Spirit Transformation cultivators all along.
"This... I'm not sure about that. Whether they are Spirit Transformation or Nascent Soul, I am not very clear on our Great Elder's cultivation level either. I only know that they are strong, exceptionally strong!" Su Hong thought for a moment, then bit her red lip and said.
"Not belonging to any faction... You are not people of the Desolate Moon Continent." Li Yan calmed his shock, a thought occurring to him.
This time, Su Hong did not answer, merely smiling. "I hope Senior Brother will not speculate, nor speak of your guesses to others. Otherwise, even if your sect's upper echelons find out, they will place a gag order on you. If I didn't need to explain certain secrets to you, Senior Brother, I would not have spoken in such detail about 'Gui Qu Lai Xi'." While Su Hong spoke thus, a different set of words ran through her mind. Her life had just been in his hands. Was she supposed to let Li Yan kill her out of suspicion just to protect some secrets? She wasn't that foolish. Besides, during this period, the Four Great Sects were all contracting their forces. Those who could be sent out were definitely the elite disciples of the sect. According to the intelligence she received, Wang Lang of the Ten-Pace Courtyard was in Yuguan City. Such disciples from the Malevolent Spirit Sect on missions abroad were certainly performing tasks similar to her own. These people naturally knew what was important and would not speak carelessly.
This revelation gave Li Yan another great shock. It seemed the sect and Gui Qu Lai Xi had a significant relationship, one that was never revealed to the outside world. That was why in all his years in the sect, he had never heard of it. Even the two senior brothers who went to the Peiyang Town market last time had said nothing; they must have been completely unaware.
"I received the notice from above half a month ago, and then I received this token delivered personally by someone from your sect. We were asked to assist in investigating certain matters. I am responsible for gathering information on anomalies appearing in major auction houses and markets. This kind of work is naturally best suited for us. If anything unusual happens and there is no time to communicate with the Malevolent Spirit Sect, we are to prevent it discreetly. However, given that the Four Great Sects would also be sending out their elite disciples to gather information, and that unknown force has been acting more frequently and brazenly, your sect needed to provide some convenience. This token can detect the presence of nearby Malevolent Spirit Sect cultivators. If I am short on manpower or encounter danger, I can also find nearby Malevolent Spirit Sect cultivators and request assistance. This token is, of course, the proof. The person who delivered it said that any disciple of your sect would believe it upon seeing it."
"A few days ago, I was in Yuguan City because I received a piece of news..." At this point, a strange expression appeared on Su Hong's face, and she lowered her head, lost in thought.
Li Yan's Divine Sense was constantly scanning a thousand-li radius. No outsiders had intruded so far, so he was in no hurry and simply waited for her to continue her explanation.
"Senior Brother, were you the cultivator in the back row of the main hall at the Chant-Garment Assembly a few days ago, the one who called out a bid for the Crystal Bone Water?" Su Hong's words suddenly took a sharp turn, catching Li Yan off guard. He then sighed inwardly, amazed by the woman's intellect.
Earlier, when he was eavesdropping on the conversation between Su Hong and the beautiful woman in cyan gauze, the two women had already guessed each other's identities at the Chant-Garment Assembly. Su Hong had also mentioned that she had a rough idea of the identities of those in the other private rooms. Then, when the Crystal Bone Water appeared, he was the only one who bid twice. Just this one clue was enough for Su Hong to connect the dots back to him.
Li Yan no longer bothered to hide it. He nodded, still silent.
"Then did Senior Brother also come to the Chant-Garment Assembly in Yuguan City because you received some news?" Su Hong asked, somewhat puzzled. She had not received any news from the Malevolent Spirit Sect before coming to Yuguan City, otherwise she would not have brought her people over. By the time she received the news, it was too late to inform the Malevolent Spirit Sect, so she had to go herself.
"Oh, no. I was out on other business and was just passing through. The Crystal Bone Water is for my personal use. Hmm, for you to just hand over the Crystal Bone Water to me like this..." Li Yan's words trailed off as he looked at her quietly. Now that this item was in his hands, he was unwilling to give it up, even if the sect wanted it. But it was clear the sect also needed this item. But... did he really have to kill the person before him?
"So Senior Brother is on another mission. That woman never specified whether she was after the Crystal Bone Water, the Heaven's Gate Sand, or the eyes of the grade-two Golden Flood Dragon Python. However, this matter is indeed quite troublesome..." Su Hong said, blinking her beautiful eyes. But seeing Li Yan still staring at her without a word, she suddenly broke into a radiant smile.
"But what's to stop me from saying that when I was outmatched, I destroyed the three treasures and threw them out to distract the enemy, using the opportunity to escape? In any case, only by giving these treasures to your Malevolent Spirit Sect will they pay me the Spirit Stones. I'm not a disciple of your sect, just an assistant working in the shadows. Besides, for saving my life earlier, Senior Brother, I am already endlessly grateful," Su Hong said earnestly in the end.
Li Yan thought about it. What Su Hong said was true. The beautiful woman in cyan gauze was not necessarily after the Crystal Bone Water. And it was hard to say if she was part of that mysterious force; perhaps she just needed one of those three materials for artifact refining. Moreover, he had never revealed his face from beginning to end, and he had kept the sect token hidden in his palm when he took it out. Based on this alone, by the time he returned to the sect, the Crystal Bone Water would have long been used up. Even if the sect investigated later, he could flatly deny it. Would a Nascent Soul Old Monster really perform a soul search on him for this? It wasn't some peerless treasure. The fact that the Malevolent Spirit Sect didn't know about the auction in the first place could be used to deduce its level of importance.
"Alright then, I'll pay you the one hundred and fifty thousand Spirit Stones. I have important matters to attend to and cannot stay long." As Li Yan spoke, he reached for his Storage Pouch and quietly connected with Tu Ban, preparing to take out the Spirit Stones. Since she had already recognized his identity, he couldn't just act like a robber.
But at the same time, Su Hong hurriedly spoke up. "Senior Brother, what are you saying? I've already said, you saved my life. How could I accept these Spirit Stones? Wouldn't that mean I have no heart for repayment at all? Besides, I feel that a mere hundred thousand-plus Spirit Stones is not enough. How about this, I'll give you the Heaven's Gate Sand and the eyes of the grade-two Golden Flood Dragon Python as well." As she spoke, she waved her jade-like hand, and two more streaks of light flashed out. Two jade boxes appeared in her palm and then flew towards Li Yan.
"This?" Watching the jade boxes float slowly towards him, Li Yan hesitated. He felt that taking the Crystal Bone Water had already evened the score. He didn't know what use the Crystal Bone Water had for others, but for him, it was a crucial material for refining his Natal Magical Treasure.
"Senior Brother, please don't be so polite. This is truly from my heart, not some false pretense. Besides, I've already said that these three items were destroyed during my escape." Su Hong's beautiful eyes shone with sincerity.
"Very well, then I thank you!" Seeing this, Li Yan no longer stood on ceremony. The more treasures, the better. Although he had no clear use for these two materials at the moment, such a fortunate encounter was rare.
Seeing Li Yan accept the items, Su Hong finally relaxed. She bit her red lip. "Senior Brother, are you returning to the Malevolent Spirit Sect now?"
Hearing this, Li Yan glanced at Su Hong, already knowing her thoughts. He pondered for a moment and said, "I am not returning to the sect. I have other business. Where are you headed now? If it's on my way, I can accompany you for a stretch. But if your direction is opposite to mine, then choose a relatively remote place now. You can meditate and recover, and I will temporarily stay here to guard you."
Having taken her things, Li Yan felt a bit embarrassed to just leave a wounded woman behind. He might as well see it through to the end.
"Then... thank you very much, Senior Brother! I was thinking of finding a teleportation node and then teleporting to the nearest city where a 'Gui Qu Lai Xi' is located." A flicker of joy appeared in Su Hong's heart. She hadn't expected this cultivator from the Malevolent Spirit Sect to be so considerate. If he had just left, she couldn't have said anything. After all, he had already saved her once. Although he had his own motives, he had indeed rescued her from the hands of a Golden Core cultivator.
At this thought, she couldn't help but feel strange again. Malevolent Spirit Sect cultivators were poison cultivators, so why was this man's physical body so powerful that he could clash with a Golden Core cultivator and even seem to have the upper hand?
'But I've never heard of any body cultivation method in the Malevolent Spirit Sect that is so formidable. Perhaps it's an unrevealed secret art of their sect.' Su Hong thought.
"There are no teleportation nodes nearby. You'll need to fly another ten or twenty thousand li north or east. There's one to the south as well, but that would mean returning to Yuguan City, which is contrary to my direction. East is also not an option; we just fled from that direction." Li Yan looked at Su Hong.
"Even going south is not feasible. I was ambushed there. I don't even know the final outcome of that battle. I'll just follow Senior Brother north for a stretch. I'll have to trouble you, Senior Brother," Su Hong said after some thought.
"Alright, then we'll head north." Li Yan nodded, then looked Su Hong up and down. He saw that the beauty's face was haggard, and she was clearly struggling to stay upright after talking for so long. He shook his head. Although Su Hong had recovered somewhat over the past day, she had only managed some brief healing on the road, and her condition was not good.
"We should first find a place for you to heal. If you don't recover from your injuries soon, you might be left with latent wounds, which will take even longer to heal in the future."
"Thank you, Senior Brother!" Su Hong looked at Li Yan with gratitude. Although she knew she was looking at a false face, she was still very thankful in her heart. She was aware of her injuries but hadn't dared to ask Li Yan to stay and guard her while she healed before accompanying her to a safe place. Earlier, Li Yan had only given her two choices.
Li Yan retracted his Divine Sense. "We'll find a new place. In about half an hour, you should be able to heal in peace."
Without further delay, Li Yan swept Su Hong up in his sleeve and flew straight into the sky. They flew northwest for several thousand li before finally stopping at a place they deemed temporarily safe.