Lin Keyang shot his carefree friend a look and said, "Did you train with your sword until you turned stupid? That's a exotic flame. You think it can just be shown off? Anyone who gets one would hide it like a treasure."
Zhang Lingrui, scolded into silence, rubbed his nose and tried to make up for it. "Junior SIster Wei, please don't take offense. It was my fault for being presumptuous. I'm willing to swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao right now that I will never reveal your possession of the exotic flame. If I break my word, may my sword shatter and my life be forfeit."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a ripple of Heavenly Dao energy surged into Zhang Lingrui's body. The oath had taken effect.
Yun Xi smiled faintly, glancing at the other two. It wasn't that she didn't trust them, but this concerned her safety and cultivation path. Caution was never excessive.
Cao Yi and Lin Keyang both readily swore their oaths as well, offering Yun Xi peace of mind.
Only then did Yun Xi raise her hand and summon Zi Yan from her dantian. Smiling, she introduced it, "This is my exotic flame, Zi Yan."
The three of them sucked in a breath of cold air and spoke in unison. "The exotic flame of Yandang Mountain ended up with Junior Sister!"
Yun Xi admitted it openly. "Yes. I risked death more than once to claim the Mystic Thunder Violet Flame. Afterward, I was hunted all the way by a Yuányīng Zhēnjūn. If not for a treasure gifted by my master, I wouldn't even be alive to participate in the sect's grand competition."
Her words were a mix of truth and embellishment, subtly hinting to the others that obtaining the exotic flame had come at a great price.
Zhang Lingrui, in good spirits, said, "Opportunities come to those with fate. Dangers and risks are part of that fate. If you managed to obtain it, it's your own ability. At least now we have someone to go to when we need pills. I heard pills refined with exotic flames have enhanced medicinal effects. Wonder if that's true."
Yun Xi explained, "exotic flames can increase pill success rates. More importantly, they can burn away the impurities in spiritual herbs completely. The resulting pills are very high quality. That counts as enhancement, doesn't it?"
"I'm buying my pills from you from now on."
Zhang Lingrui said decisively. The other two nodded in agreement. If they could buy pills refined with a exotic flame using only spirit stones, they were definitely getting the better end of the deal.
Yun Xi accepted with a smile, then moved the flame beneath the beast-hide scroll and began channeling spiritual energy into it. The three of them stopped chatting and took positions to protect her.
Yun Xi maintained a constant connection with Zi Yan. Whenever it sent her a signal of low energy, she would infuse it with lightning spiritual power.
Zi Yan leapt up, the dazzling violet flame engulfing the entire beast-hide scroll, speeding up the burning process.
Half an hour passed, and Yun Xi felt the scroll shrinking. She immediately grabbed a mid-grade spirit stone to replenish her energy while continuously channeling spiritual power into Zi Yan.
Another half hour later, all four of them saw the scroll shrink down to the size of half a palm, slowly transforming into a violet jade token.
Only then did Yun Xi retract Zi Yan and take hold of the jade token as it dropped into her hand.
On the front of the token was a maze-like pattern. The back held three unevenly distributed slots, and the bottom right corner bore the character Yi (医). The entire token was warm and smooth to the touch, clearly made of high-grade spiritual jade.
After examining it, Yun Xi handed the token to Cao Yi and sat down to recover her spiritual power.
Cao Yi looked at it, then passed it to Zhang Lingrui, who in turn gave it to Lin Keyang. The three began whispering among themselves.
"This token should be the key marked on the treasure map."
"Definitely. But what's with the 'Yi' character on the back? Could this treasure be related to a medical cultivator?"
"That's entirely possible. But what does the maze design on the front mean?"
"Could it be the actual location of the treasure?"
"I don't think it'll be that simple."
In the end, Cao Yi concluded, "Mazes are also known as Maze Formations. The treasure location must be protected by a formation. We won't get the treasure that easily. Before we know where it came from, what tests lie inside, or even what's hidden there, we need to be extremely cautious."
Yun Xi had just finished her meditation and heard the final part of Cao Yi's words. She nodded in agreement. "Senior Brother Cao is right. From the moment we entered Yuxing City, someone has been watching us. To keep us here, even the teleportation hall was shut down. The City Lord's Manor is clearly pulling out all the stops."
Teleportation arrays were popular in the cultivation world due to their speed and convenience, and they were also the most profitable part of any cultivation city. For the city lord to shut it down just to trap them showed how determined they were. The only reason they hadn't acted yet was likely because they were waiting for the right moment.
Zhang Lingrui cracked his wrist and said, "Hmph. If they want benefits, they better ask my sword for permission first."
That was typical of sword cultivators. Their philosophy was simple—cut down anything in their way. Always ready for a fight, so Yun Xi wasn't surprised to hear such words from him.
Lin Keyang, more composed, suggested, "Maybe we can cooperate with the City Lord's Manor?"
Cao Yi shook his head. "What if they plan to keep it all for themselves? We don't have any leverage right now, except this key."
Before Yun Xi could weigh in, the defensive formation outside was suddenly triggered. All four of them released their divine sense, spotting a male cultivator in soft armor at the entrance. The armor bore the mark of the City Lord's Manor, clearly indicating who had sent him.
Cao Yi handed the token back to Yun Xi. "Junior Sister Wei, hide the key. If they attack and we can't fend them off, find a chance to escape. No one would expect the most important item to be hidden on the person with the lowest cultivation."
Yun Xi's mouth twitched. There was really no need to spell it out like that, but she still accepted the token and stored it in her spatial ring—the safest place she had.
Once she signaled her readiness, Cao Yi waved his sleeve and deactivated the formation, allowing the visitor to enter.
The man cupped his fists politely. "Honored guests of the Haoran Sect, the City Lord invites you to the manor for a meeting."
Cao Yi returned the courtesy and asked with practiced politeness, "May I ask what the City Lord wishes to discuss with us?"
The man glanced at the four of them and replied, "It's regarding the treasure in Yuxing City. I hope you won't refuse."
Yun Xi's eyes flickered. Just then, her third-rank Flying Mist Butterfly returned with a report. Smiling, she said, "Daoyou, would you give us a moment? We'll change into proper robes and accompany you shortly."
"Very well. I'll wait outside."
The Golden Core cultivator didn't press the issue. After replying, he turned and exited the courtyard.
Once he was gone, Cao Yi waved his sleeve again, reactivating the defensive formation.
Lin Keyang immediately spoke up. "Junior Sister Wei, isn't this too risky?"
Yun Xi patiently explained, "My Flying Mist Butterfly just reported back. The City Lord's Manor hasn't laid any traps. The exterior defense is tight, but the interior is loose. It doesn't look like they intend to capture us. Since they've made a sincere invitation, we should meet with the City Lord. Who knows? We might really be able to cooperate."
Cao Yi's expression was serious. "At this point, we don't have a better choice. We've already alarmed the Zhēnjūn of the City Lord's Manor. Hiding won't solve anything."
Yun Xi turned and entered the house, changing into the personal disciple robes she hadn't worn since leaving the sect. Then she fastened the identity token blessed by her master to her waist.