Yu Qingcheng's willow brows furrowed slightly, her voice tinged with worry.
"Senior Brother Liu's concerns aren't without merit. We all seem to have overlooked the fact that although Yun Xi has reached the Golden Core stage, she's only fifteen years old. She's the youngest among the four of us."
She paused, then added, "We definitely need to request backup, but we can't make a public show of it. If we draw too much attention, those hidden evil cultivators might catch wind of it, and everything we've worked for will go to waste."
Liu Haotian nodded in agreement. He took out his identity jade token from Baihua Tower and sent a message to his master. Then, raising his head, he said to the two of them,
"I've already informed Master. He should arrive soon. Until then, we need to keep close watch on those evil cultivators."
Yu Qingcheng's expression shifted slightly upon hearing that Liu Haotian had gone so far as to alert his master. She responded immediately.
"In that case, we'll follow Senior Brother's lead."
The three of them gathered once more to fine-tune their plan, then split up and moved in different directions.
Meanwhile, Yun Xi remained asleep inside the carriage. Along with the other courtesans, she passed through the barrier smoothly and returned to the cultivation realm.
The moment they crossed through the barrier, Yun Xi felt every pore on her body open. The rush of spiritual energy flooding into her was exquisite, and it seemed as if the spiritual energy itself was consciously gravitating toward her.
The disturbance drew the attention of the evil cultivator driving the carriage. He hadn't expected this shipment to be so promising. She hadn't even started cultivating yet, but her presence already attracted spiritual energy. Once she began cultivation, she'd make an exceptional furnace. He was convinced this mission would be a success.
Due to the spiritual energy surrounding her, Yun Xi could no longer keep pretending to be unconscious. She let her eyelids flutter open as if roused by the influx of energy.
Her eyes opened slowly. She looked around, noticing that the location had changed. The other courtesans were still passed out around her. Yun Xi gave a light shake to the woman nearest her, who of course didn't wake. Then she raised her voice deliberately.
"Stop the carriage. Someone's fainted."
The evil cultivator kept driving, his tone cold and indifferent.
"You woke up earlier than expected. Looks like your aptitude isn't bad."
Yun Xi continued playing her part, hoping to divert his attention.
"You're not Boss Zhao. Who are you? Where are you taking us?"
"To a very good place," the man replied.
"What kind of good place requires drugging and abducting us?"
"Tch. You're cleverer than I thought. How'd you know you were drugged?"
The evil cultivator asked leisurely. Since he believed he was facing nothing more than a powerless mortal girl, he was completely at ease and didn't bother guarding his words.
Yun Xi's eyes shifted slightly, and she spoke with a resigned tone.
"I couldn't wake the others. You must've used some kind of sedative. Just tell me, where are you selling us?"
"Hahaha! I'm giving you a path straight to the heavens. One day, you'll thank me."
His voice carried a trace of arrogance.
"A path to the heavens? Are you saying we can become immortals?"
Yun Xi feigned curiosity, trying to draw out more information.
"You talk too much. You'll know when the time comes."
With a wave of his sleeve, the evil cultivator forced her into unconsciousness once more. He seemed to have lost interest in conversation.
Yun Xi bit down internally but played along, letting herself slump as if fainted again.
The carriage continued for another half hour before stopping in a dense forest.
Fifteen minutes later, a group of five arrived to rendezvous with the evil cultivator.
Using the eyes of the Flying Mist Butterfly, Yun Xi observed the newcomers: three men and two women. The men wore black robes with white trim, while the women wore red robes trimmed in black. Each of them had a yin-yang jade pendant on their waist—a symbol of the Yin Yang Sect.
Internally, Yun Xi scoffed.
"These evil cultivators are actually working with a sect? So the Yin Yang Sect isn't as clean as it pretends to be."
From what Yun Xi knew, the Yin Yang Sect was a third-rate sect, similar to the Hehuan Sect. Both relied on dual cultivation to advance their strength. Since the Yin Yang Sect was founded relatively late, its development had been slow. Their recruitment standards were much lower than Hehuan Sect's. Most of their disciples were the ones rejected by Hehuan Sect. Their reputation was average, and no rumors of collusion with evil cultivators had ever surfaced.
"Could they be evil cultivators in disguise?"
Yun Xi couldn't be certain. If they truly were evil cultivators, disguising themselves like this would be a logical move to avoid attention.
Just then, their conversation drifted to her ears.
"Was everything smooth this time?"
"Very smooth. And there was an unexpected bonus. Among these girls is one with a special physique. She hasn't even started cultivating, but she's already attracting spiritual energy. She should be cultivated with special care."
"Good. I'll inform Master to take her in personally. That won't hinder our master's plans."
"There's something else I'd like to ask. Has any Divine Transformation expert entered the mortal realm recently?"
This question caused visible hesitation in the Yin Yang Sect disciple before he finally replied.
"Not that I know of. Why?"
"A short while ago, we sensed a Divine Transformation aura in the mortal realm. We halted many of our activities, worried we'd drawn the attention of the cultivation realm. The courtesan contest we used to capture special physiques this time was held in the mortal realm specifically to stay under the radar."
"If that's the case, I can't say for sure. Ever since the incident at Xiafei Valley's transit hub, cultivators in Weiyu Realm have been on high alert. It's possible they sent someone powerful to patrol the mortal realm."
At this point, Yun Xi finally understood the reason for their concern. The Divine Transformation aura they sensed had actually been caused by her during her breakthrough to the Golden Core stage.
Back then, she had endured nine waves of heavenly tribulation and even dared to summon the Nine Heavens Mystic Thunder to temper her body. The effort not only disrupted the evil cultivator's scheme but also strengthened her physical form. In that moment, she had deliberately released her suppressed divine sense to mislead any nearby evil cultivators into thinking that a Divine Transformation expert had arrived.
Now she understood why the City Lord of Li City had fled so abruptly. He must have believed a Divine Transformation cultivator had discovered the corpse-rearing ground, and in his panic, he abandoned even his own son to escape.
After finishing their brief exchange, the group completed the handover. The evil cultivator who had transported the girls turned back, preparing to return the way he came.
Yun Xi judged it was time to act. She ordered the Flying Mist Butterfly to alert Liu Haotian and the others to prepare, while she herself lifted the curtain and said with a bright smile:
"Excuse me, young sir. Please wait a moment."
Her sudden voice startled the entire group. The evil cultivator who had spoken with her earlier narrowed his eyes and released his divine sense, scanning Yun Xi from head to toe.
"You're awake again?" he asked suspiciously.
By now, Yun Xi had stepped out of the carriage. Feigning ignorance, she replied,
"I woke up while you were talking. I heard you call us 'merchandise.' You must be a bad guy!"
The evil cultivator's figure blurred, and in the next instant, he was standing beside her, gripping her wrist tightly.
"I suggest you stay smart. The more you know, the quicker you die."
Yun Xi struggled violently, trying to wrench her arm free. At the same time, she kept shouting,
"Let me go!"
In the middle of her struggle, she suddenly gripped his wrist.
The next moment, the evil cultivator's body convulsed. Fear flashed in his eyes, and the instant after, he collapsed, unconscious.
The five onlookers from the Yin Yang Sect sensed something was wrong. They moved to surround Yun Xi at once. But in the very next moment, a golden array pattern surged up from the ground, trapping all five within. In an instant, Yun Xi vanished from their sight.
"Damn it. We've walked right into an ambush!"