Li Yan and Zhao Min were so clever, they immediately deduced that the "Peak Master" the other was referring to was definitely not Li Yuyin.
Mu Lian also realized she had spoken out of turn, but seeing that the two were not angry, just asking with a curious look, her heart relaxed slightly.
Then she remembered that Zhao Min was also from her lineage, and had long heard that her relationship with Li Changting was as close as sisters. This eased her nervousness a little more.
"Yes, the Peak Master successfully formed her core more than sixty years ago. And the old Peak Master also began her closed-door cultivation more than forty years ago, focusing on breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage. So, she handed over all the peak's affairs to the Peak Master to handle!"
When Mu Lian spoke of Never-Parting Peak, her spirits lifted. She kept referring to "Peak Master" and "old Peak Master." Anyone unfamiliar with Never-Parting Peak would have been utterly confused.
But Li Yan and Zhao Min, of course, understood perfectly. Especially Li Yan, who, upon hearing that Li Yuyin went into seclusion to break through to the Nascent Soul stage more than forty years ago, couldn't help but glance sideways at Zhao Min.
Zhao Min, already in perfect sync with him, immediately glared back, her feigned annoyance exuding an infinite charm.
Li Yuyin's seclusion began shortly after Wei Zhongran formed his Nascent Soul. The relationship between these two had always been somewhat ambiguously affectionate. Among the old-timers of the Malevolent Spirit Sect, who didn't have an inkling about this?
Li Yan, however, pretended it was just a casual glance, his face calm, showing no signs of anything amiss, though he was already snickering inwardly.
'In the future, if Master says I've wronged Min'er or something, well, this is just me carrying on the legacy, hehehe!'
He scoffed inwardly, even feeling a greater sense of gratitude towards Wei Zhongran.
"What did you mean by what you said earlier? How did Senior Sister Li force Senior Sister Miao?"
Zhao Min looked at Mu Lian, who showed a difficult expression.
"This..."
Speaking ill of one's elders behind their back was a major taboo. She had just been careless with her words. She still couldn't gauge Li Yan and Zhao Min's tempers and couldn't help but hesitate again.
"It's fine, go on. Your Martial Aunt Zhao is as close as sisters with your Peak Master. Naturally, her relationship with your peak is even closer!"
Li Yan said with a smile. In truth, he already had some guesses. Zhao Min shot a sideways glance at Li Yan upon hearing this, but said nothing.
"This... this isn't actually what I said. Everyone on Never-Parting Peak says the same thing. So, if the two martial uncles don't believe me, you can go to Never-Parting Peak to inquire..."
After thinking for a moment, Mu Lian decided to absolve herself of responsibility first.
"They... they all say that Peak Master Li of Little Bamboo Peak and our Peak Master are of comparable realms, a match made in heaven."
"So... so I heard that Martial... Martial Aunt Miao was filled with indignation after learning about it. Perhaps feeling that she was outshone by the Peak Master, she immediately entered a sixty-year-long seclusion. Not long ago, she finally stepped into the Golden Core stage..."
'Senior Sister Miao is really ruthless with herself. She was always the one who disliked long periods of seclusion the most! After I get back, I must ask Senior Brother Wuyi for the details of this matter...'
After hearing this, a smile appeared on Zhao Min's face. No matter how Li Yan looked at it, he felt that Zhao Min's smile at this moment was full of malice.
'Fourth Senior Sister used to be a bit lazy, but I didn't expect that when she gets serious, her cultivation is quite fierce too!'
Li Yan thought to himself.
"Overall, everything on Little Bamboo Peak is still pretty good!"
Li Yan said with a smile to Zhao Min. The news they heard from Sun Guoshu and Mu Lian was both expected and unexpected.
"Martial Uncles, you might not be able to see everyone from Little Bamboo Peak if you go back now. Martial Aunt Gong has left the sect!"
Seeing that the two martial uncles were indeed not blaming her, and their moods seemed to have improved, Mu Lian thought for a moment and added a sentence.
After Li Yan heard this, his expression immediately changed slightly, but he did not press for more information right away.
"You've been wanting to ask about Senior Sister Gong for a while, haven't you?"
A voice like clashing ice cubes suddenly sounded in his mind. It was Zhao Min. For a moment, Li Yan didn't know how to answer.
In fact, after Sun Guoshu had mentioned that Gong Chenying had also formed her core, he had wanted to ask more, but in the end, he had asked about other things.
Zhao Min, paying no mind to Li Yan now, parted her vermilion lips and asked Mu Lian directly.
"Where did Senior Sister Gong go to train?"
In her and Li Yan's minds, Gong Chenying leaving the sect naturally meant she had gone out to train.
"This... this disciple truly does not know. But Martial Aunt Gong has been away from the sect for over a decade!"
Mu Lian thought for a moment before answering respectfully.
"She's been out for over a decade? Has she never returned to the sect during that time?"
This time it was Li Yan who asked, but his expression remained calm. It wasn't strange for a Golden Core cultivator to be out training for over a decade.
"I think... she hasn't, right?"
This made Mu Lian a little unsure. She wasn't a disciple of Little Bamboo Peak, so it was impossible for her to know more about Gong Chenying.
Li Yan looked over at Sun Guoshu, who also immediately shook his head.
"Young Master, I've spent all these years focusing on cultivation and earning spirit stones. I really haven't paid much attention to other matters!"
For the rest of the time, Li Yan did not press further about Gong Chenying. He would find out once he returned to Little Bamboo Peak; there was no need to dwell on it here.
Changing the subject, he asked about the current state of the Desolate Moon Continent's cultivation world.
Having just returned here, it was natural to have a basic grasp of the general situation on the Desolate Moon Continent.
The cultivation world was still firmly controlled by the Four Great Sects. The Supreme Mystery Teachings had also returned to the South Sea. Apart from their strength now being at the bottom of the Four Great Sects, their respective jurisdictions remained largely unchanged.
Li Yan and Zhao Min couldn't help but feel emotional. A super sect was a super sect, with an incredibly deep foundation.
After experiencing such a great war, where even Nascent Soul cultivators could perish at any moment, and several Spirit Transformation cultivators had even appeared, the casualties among the low-level cultivators of the Four Great Sects were as numerous as cattle.
In that war, countless sects and families on the Desolate Moon Continent were annihilated, yet the status of the Four Great Sects remained unshakeable.
The journey of about thirty thousand li, even without Li Yan deliberately increasing their speed, was completed by evening, and they arrived within the range of the Malevolent Spirit Sect.
Looking at the thousand-zhang-high gate soaring into the sky, piercing the clouds, Li Yan and Zhao Min felt as if they were in another world.
The two of them stared at the top of the thousand-zhang-high gate. Three large, ink-green characters, exuding a gloomy air, would occasionally appear and disappear within the clouds and mist. A long-lost feeling arose spontaneously.
Behind the thousand-zhang gate, five gigantic peaks that held up the heavens could be vaguely seen rising from the ground. Among them, one peak was entirely emerald green, immersed in endless thick clouds and mist, appearing distant one moment and near the next...
The moment Li Yan and Zhao Min saw this peak, they both had the feeling of being home.
Although it was already shrouded in night, there were still quite a few cultivators coming and going at the mountain gate. Streaks of colorful light streaked across the sky, set against the huge, round moon, truly like resplendent rainbows created by flying immortals.
Li Yan and the others, riding the Cloud-Piercing Willow, also quickly approached the massive mountain gate without slowing down at all, flying directly towards the thousand-zhang gate.
This flight speed couldn't help but make many people turn their heads, but they couldn't see the figures within the light clearly. However, most low-level disciples guessed it must be a martial uncle or martial master from one of the peaks returning.
Immediately, many people deliberately made way to avoid accidentally offending them.
Just as the Cloud-Piercing Willow flew into the mountain gate, the churning clouds and mist in the air instantly rolled over.
A small, black token, seemingly neither iron nor gold, suddenly appeared at the waists of Li Yan and Zhao Min. The token vibrated lightly, and some of the rolling clouds and mist instantly surged into it.
But it was like a gentle brush, and in the next moment, everything returned to calm. The tokens at the waists of Sun Guoshu and Mu Lian behind them did the same.
It was only at this moment that Mu Lian truly believed in her heart that these two were undoubtedly disciples of the Malevolent Spirit Sect. The sect token, after a blood-drip ownership claim, could not be faked or used by others.
Li Yan and Zhao Min looked at the unfamiliar faces of the cultivators flying by, feeling that everything before them was both strange and familiar.
Li Yan paid no attention to those people. He and Zhao Min were in no mood to linger here. After entering the sect, he immediately flew to a stop above a mountaintop.
"Alright, let's part ways here. You can go back on your own. Sun Guoshu, you can come find me at Little Bamboo Peak the day after tomorrow!"
Li Yan said simply. Sun Guoshu and Mu Lian were sensible enough not to disturb them any further.
Moreover, they had obtained the storage pouches of the two Ten-Pace Courtyard Sword Cultivators, which contained quite a few good things. They had been itching to inspect them all along the way.
But due to Li Yan and Zhao Min's presence, they could only suppress the tingling itch in their hearts.
Especially Sun Guoshu, whose heart leaped with joy upon hearing Li Yan's final sentence. The other party had confirmed they would help him.
Earlier, Li Yan had seen that he could attempt to break through to the Golden Core and had told him to seek him out in a few days. Sun Guoshu was still wondering if Li Yan was just saying it casually.
'Being able to work for Li Yan back then, this is my immortal fortune!'
Sun Guoshu couldn't help but marvel at his own luck. He and Mu Lian immediately bowed to Li Yan and his companion, then flew off in a hurry.
...
On Little Bamboo Peak, the sea of bamboo was like a tide, rolling in waves, as if this place had remained unchanged for millennia.
In a lush bamboo forest behind the main hall of Little Bamboo Peak, there was a spacious bamboo courtyard. At this moment, in one of the rooms, a young man and woman were talking.
The man was slightly plump, dressed in a dark green long robe, appearing to be in his late twenties, with a gentle and upright expression.
Opposite him sat a woman in a white palace dress.
The woman had a slender, curvaceous figure, and her skin was fair and smooth, glowing faintly. Her pair of phoenix eyes gave her a somewhat heroic air, and her features were very delicate, but her complexion was a little wan.
"It's been five years since we received Min'er's message. She and Li Yan told us not to go looking for them, but to this day, there has been no further news. It was my fault back then, for not letting you go..."
The woman in the white palace dress said to the slightly plump young man with a look of regret.
"How can this be your fault? That Gui Qu Lai Xi couldn't even tell us where on the Verdant Continent Min'er and Li Yan sent the message from. (TN: Gui Qu Lai Xi is the name of a messenger organization, literally meaning 'Return.')"
"And Father had just returned not long before, heavily injured. The family also needed me to hold down the fort for a while."
"The Verdant Continent is said to be even larger than the Desolate Moon Continent. Without a clear target, it would be ninety-nine percent certain that I wouldn't be able to find them. This has nothing to do with your suggestion!"
The slightly plump young man softly comforted the woman in the palace dress.
"Min'er, really! Why didn't she specify the location when she sent the message? Wouldn't it be better for us to go find her directly?"
A look of annoyance appeared in the woman's eyes.
This middle-aged man and woman were none other than Wei Zhongran and his wife. Although Wei Zhongran said this, he also sighed in his heart.
Traveling back and forth between two continents involved immense danger, which even he was not very confident in handling. One mistake could lead to his demise. After all, he had only recently formed his Nascent Soul.
His daughter must have thought of this as well, which was why she did not specify her location. They didn't know what method she had, but she had said they would return on their own.
Wei Zhongran had of course questioned the messenger, but the person knew nothing, saying he was only responsible for bringing the letter over and knew nothing else.
"Could someone be impersonating Min'er and the others?"
Zhao Zhi had grown more and more anxious over the past few years. Especially today, for some reason, she was even more restless, unable to sit or stand still, let alone cultivate.
Under these circumstances, she came to find Wei Zhongran, only to discover that he wasn't cultivating either, but was sitting alone at the table, drinking tea with a worried expression.