Just holding wrists, not even interlocking fingers…
“Is this information reliable?”
Weisheng Zhen’s brows furrowed slightly.
Xian Yu Yi rolled his eyes. “I’ve been selling intelligence for so many years, if you don’t trust me, at least trust the Flowing Forest Pavilion?”
“There’s even a memory stone recording it. How could it be a lie?”
Weisheng Zhen wasn’t actually doubting Xian Yu Yi or the Flowing Forest Pavilion; it was just that this matter seemed a little too coincidental.
The reason he found it so hard to believe was that just a few days ago, he had asked Xian Yu Yi to look into Yue Bai’s origins and sect background. And in the intelligence he received, written in black and white, were the three big characters: “Unknown Continent.”
Yue Bai had originally been born in a small village near the Unknown Continent. One year, a demon cultivator passing by took a whim and slaughtered nearly the entire village, leaving only a single infant.
That infant was Yue Bai.
But strangely enough, the demon cultivator had actually seen him at the time. By all logic, he should have wiped him out completely. Yet, whether out of some sudden whim or something else, he didn’t take the child’s life. Instead, he brought him into the Unknown Continent and raised him there. Later, when Yue Bai learned the truth, he killed the demon cultivator and fled the Unknown Continent, wandering from place to place, slaying demons and vanquishing evil along the way. Not long ago, after hearing about the Rising Star Tournament, he traveled across an entire continent to come here.
But Weisheng Zhen felt something was off. Those three words rarely ever came up in casual conversation, yet within just a few short days, he had heard them twice.
Too many coincidences meant it wasn’t coincidence at all it was deliberate. Weisheng Zhen had a vague feeling that someone had intentionally sent this intelligence to him.
Who could it be? That seller of the ethereal void?
Why did that person insist on him entering the Unknown Continent?
After Weisheng Zhen finished reading the information, Xian Yu Yi burned it, then patted the still-dazed Weisheng Zhen on the shoulder. “Alright, stop overthinking. Your brain’s about to sink into it.”
“Come on, you can accompany me somewhere.”
Half an hour later, two people with altered appearances, adorned in gold and jade, appeared at the entrance of a place called “Qiao Yan” in Shanying City, near Star Sea Terrace.
Weisheng Zhen let out a long sigh and transmitted his voice through spiritual energy: “…I know you’ve been curious about what a brothel looks like for the past seventy years, but I still want to say it again, I’m not curious. Please don’t drag me into this kind of thing next time. Farewell.”
With that, Weisheng Zhen turned to leave.
Unexpectedly, Xian Yu Yi tugged at his sleeve and transmitted: “Where’s your mind going? I’m a very proper person, alright? At most, I had a tiny bit of curiosity for a while. And besides, don’t judge by the flashy exterior inside, it’s actually a legitimate place for listening to music.”
Weisheng Zhen remained unmoved. “I’m not interested in music either. If there’s nothing else, I’ve already made plans to go back and cultivate.”
“Cultivate, cultivate you’re not Li Changshuang, that cultivation machine. Stop talking about cultivation every other word; it’s giving me a headache! And it won’t take up much of your time. Just come in with me. There’s something inside you’ll genuinely be interested in. Would I lie to you?” Xian Yu Yi, without giving Weisheng Zhen a chance to refuse, dragged him into Qiao Yan Tower.
Compared to the flashy style outside, the interior decor of Qiaoyan was indeed quite elegant, just as Xian Yuyi had said. Lush green vegetation adorned the building, and landscape paintings unfurled before one’s eyes like a scroll. A soundproofing barrier seemed to be set up at the entrance the moment one stepped inside, the tinkling of jade pendants mingled with crisp, graceful zither music reached the ears. The player’s fingers brushed lightly over the strings, producing a melody that was pure delight.
When the music faded, it seemed to sweep away all the weariness from one’s body.
Xian Yuyi led Weisheng Zhen up to the third floor.
Qiaoyan had no fully enclosed private rooms. All the booths were separated by carved, hollowed-out wooden walls, with spiritual energy flowing through them to create the effect of small waterfalls, which served to block both sightlines and some sound.
At that moment, the two of them looked down from afar through the window.
In the main hall below, a woman with a comely face was playing the pipa. The notes were sometimes swift as a blade drawn from its sheath, sometimes slow as spring water trickling along.
Quite a few people in the first-floor hall were already shouting their approval, gesturing for the attendants to come over and reward the woman on stage with silver or spirit stones.
When the piece ended, the woman nodded slightly while cradling her pipa, then quickly retreated backstage amid the applause.
Before long, the woman from the stage reappeared before Weisheng Zhen and the others.
Xian Yuyi waved his hand lightly, setting up a soundproofing barrier that enveloped all three of them.
“Greetings to the Young Pavilion Master, and greetings to Senior Brother,” the woman said, offering a salute.
Xian Yuyi gestured in introduction: “She is a disciple who recently joined Liusen Pavilion. Her original name is Qin Yi, ranked Xuan number three hundred and twenty.”
Although the person before them was a disciple of Liusen Pavilion, Xian Yuyi had no intention of introducing Weisheng Zhen’s identity. First, there were too many eyes and ears around there was no guarantee that someone with higher cultivation than theirs might be nearby.
Second, there was no need.
They would never cross paths again anyway.
Weisheng Zhen nodded slightly in acknowledgment. He had never been good at interacting with women, though Xian Yuyi, having grown up with him, was an exception.
“She’s what we’ve temporarily placed here at Qiaoyan as… an informant,” Xian Yuyi explained. “Summoning her directly to our place would easily arouse suspicion about her identity. So I had no choice but to trouble you to come here. She once spent some time in Buzhi Province, and most of the intelligence we had on Yue Bai came from her.”
The chaos in Buzhi Province had always exceeded what most cultivators could imagine. Though Weisheng Zhen felt some wariness inwardly, since Liusen Pavilion knew she had once stayed in Buzhi Province and still dared to take her in as a disciple, that proved her background had been thoroughly investigated they wouldn’t have done so unless no problems were found.
Weisheng Zhen didn’t probe further: “Do you know of anyone in Buzhi Province who possesses Kongling Xu?”
The fact that he had spent so many spirit stones at Dibao Pavilion to bid on Kongling Xu might be unknown to others, but Xian Yuyi was certainly aware of it, so upon hearing his question, he showed no particular expression.
Qin Yi, however, revealed a hint of surprise. She frowned and thought for a moment, then shook her head: “Perhaps my abilities haven’t reached that level yet. I have no memory of Kongling Xu existing in Buzhi Province.”
Weisheng Zhen nodded.
Indeed, if it were too easy to find out that person’s identity, it would only make him doubt the authenticity of the information even more.
“Then regarding the general distribution of power in Buzhi Province, do you still have any recollection of that now?”
Qin Yi nodded. “When I joined Flowing Smoke Pavilion, the information I submitted was about the Unknown Continent. Young Pavilion Master, if you ”
Hearing Qin Yi address her, Xian Yuyi said, “I didn’t pay much attention to it, to be honest. I’ll have someone look for it and send it to you later.”
The last sentence was directed at Weisheng Zhen.
Only then did Qin Yi continue, “But this is already information from ten years ago. Even in just ten short years, the landscape of the Unknown Continent could have changed considerably, so this faction distribution map may not necessarily be of much help to you, Senior Brother.”
“No matter. Thank you.”
After receiving Xian Yuyi’s promise that she would send him the information once found, the two of them stepped out of Qiaoyan together.
Xian Yuyi was still talking. “See, I told you, didn’t I? I said there would definitely be something you wanted, and yet you didn’t believe me before. So? Isn’t it about time you apologized for wronging me earlier?”
Seeing Weisheng Zhen remain silent, Xian Yuyi was just about to press her advantage when she suddenly spotted a very familiar figure standing beside the two of them.
Though his features were lightly obscured, his aura made it easy to identify who he was.
“So we agreed to cultivate together… and yet you didn’t even bother to tell me the location?”
His tone was flat, but Weisheng Zhen could somehow detect a hint of sarcasm in it. Not knowing how to respond, he simply shut his mouth.
Did Li Changshuang have a dog’s nose or something? This place was still some distance from Star Sea Terrace, and they hadn’t told him in advance, how had he found them?
The two’s careful disguises were completely useless around a friend familiar with their auras. Weisheng Zhen’s heart skipped a beat as he realized he’d forgotten his appointment with Li Changshuang and hadn’t even given him a heads-up.
Who knew how long he’d been waiting? Li Changshuang, he wasn’t angry, was he?
Three people gathered together could easily block the path. Feeling guilty, Weisheng Zhen grabbed Li Changshuang by the wrist and hurried back to Star Sea Terrace.
And the forgotten one, left alone in place Xian Yuyi: “…”
Huh? Did anyone care that she, a perfectly living person, was still standing there?
**
It wasn’t until they were back in the room that Weisheng Zhen realized he’d been holding Li Changshuang’s wrist the entire time without letting go.
But he didn’t think much of it. Physical contact between boys was completely normal they’d even soaked in hot springs together before. Holding a wrist was nothing, not like interlocking fingers. Besides, Weisheng Zhen was already feeling awkward about earlier events, so naturally, his mind didn’t wander anywhere else.
Li Changshuang, meanwhile, kept his eyes lowered, his gaze resting nowhere in particular.
After a long moment, he didn’t press Weisheng Zhen about why he hadn’t come to their appointment earlier. Instead, he skipped past the topic and said, “Reaching the peak of the Out-of-Body stage before even turning a hundred that’s already an incredibly fast cultivation speed. You… don’t need to push yourself so hard.”
If anything happens, you can always tell me in detail. There’s no need to carry everything on your own shoulders.
Li Changshuang didn’t say those words aloud, because Weisheng Zhen brushed the moment aside with a joking tone: “Ah… I’m not pushing myself. I was just thinking, if I could successfully break into the Void Refinement stage before turning a hundred and shatter the record for the youngest Void Refinement cultivator, then when the sect opens its doors to accept disciples next year, I could attract quite a few junior brothers and sisters.”
Li Changshuang knew he wasn’t telling the truth, but since Weisheng Zhen was unwilling to say more, he didn’t press the matter. He simply said, “Actually, I’m feeling a bit restless today and not in the mood for cultivation. Would you… be willing to share a drink with me for a while?”
Weisheng Zhen was momentarily stunned.
“If you’re unwilling, then ” Li Changshuang began cautiously, studying Weisheng Zhen’s expression.
“No, no! Of course I’m willing!”
Weisheng Zhen’s face brightened considerably in an instant.
He had indeed planned to intensify his cultivation during this period, but compared to cultivation, what was even rarer was…
Weisheng Zhen’s heart was practically beating like drums and gongs.
Oh my god! Has a stone blossomed? Li Changshuang actually took the initiative to invite him for a drink?
If this were in a novel, the next step would probably be swearing brotherhood! Didn’t this mean that although the original book said the male lead had five close friends, at this moment, he, Weisheng Zhen, held more weight in Li Changshuang’s heart than the others?
Weisheng Zhen had no idea what was going through his mind, but Li Changshuang was well aware that beneath his sleeve, his knuckles, which had turned white, were finally regaining some color.