"Why do you want to head to Gu Ling Mountain again? Wasn't that person already taken away by disciples of Wuxiang Sect?" Hao Yinqin looked at him with puzzlement.
Pu Yehai's long fingers curled tightly into a fist, veins standing out against his pale skin. In the depths of his cold, ashen eyes flickered hatred. "She came back!"
"When did this happen? Why did I not hear a word of it?" Hao Yinqin was dumbfounded.
Ever since You Yan Sect joined hands with the other three major sects, his influence had steadily expanded. He had already arranged men to monitor the surroundings of Longyin Village, yet not once had he received word of Yao Ranran's return.
A cold glint flashed through Pu Yehai's eyes as he frowned. "Perhaps Gu Ling Mountain still harbors some hidden passage. If she returned so quickly and without being discovered by the sentries, it must have been by taking a secret way unknown to us."
Hao Yinqin nodded slowly. "That does make sense. But last time, you said Lone Star Peak might be sheltering a Divine Transformation Zūnzhě. If you go to Gu Ling Mountain again, aren't you afraid that expert will show himself?"
A shadow of dread crossed Hao Yinqin's gaze.
In this world, the highest cultivation realm attainable was Divine Transformation.
If the hidden figure on Lone Star Peak truly was such an expert, then even Hao Yinqin himself might not be able to withstand more than a single strike!
But Pu Yehai's pale lips curved faintly. "Master, that Divine Transformation Zūnzhě left some time ago."
Hao Yinqin froze, eyes widening in shock. "And where did you learn this from? None of my informants reported such a thing."
Pu Yehai gave a wan smile. "Master, your informants can only linger outside Longyin Village's great formation. But I have my own inside the village itself. I even registered my household there. Naturally, I know more than the people you placed outside."
"Wait a moment!" Hao Yinqin blinked, confused. "Who is this inside informant of yours? And how did you register a household in the village? I never gave you anyone for that purpose!"
Pu Yehai chuckled softly. "The one who connects with me inside Longyin Village isn't a disciple of You Yan Sect, so of course Master doesn't know. As for the registration, all it took was keeping that old man Jiang Shengxiang well-fed. If I wished, I could even secure an official position in the village with little trouble."
Hao Yinqin let out a low sound of realization. "So Jiang Shengxiang is a greedy old man. Then who is your informant in Longyin Village? And what post did you manage to gain?"
Pu Yehai cast him a deep look. "Master, don't be too surprised. I have more than one informant."
Hao Yinqin's expression softened, a trace of pride flickering in his eyes. "As expected. Among You Yan Sect disciples, your abilities are the most outstanding. As your teacher, I have long since learned to trust in your composure."
Pu Yehai's face remained impassive. "In truth, my so-called informants are nothing extraordinary. They're just the old grandmothers—Grandma Zhang, Grandma Li, Grandma Zhao—who gather under the osmanthus tree every day to gossip about village affairs. Sit with them long enough, and no rumor within ten miles escapes your ears. Whether it's news one ought to know, or matters better left hidden, in the end everything comes to light."
He finished speaking with a blank expression, leaving Hao Yinqin utterly speechless.
"So all this time… your contact has been those mortal grandmothers?"
Pu Yehai nodded. "I serve as the village physician. Whenever they felt unwell, they would send someone to fetch me. Each time, I took the chance to inquire about happenings in the village."
Hao Yinqin opened his mouth, lips twitching before he reached out to clap his disciple's shoulder with some difficulty. "Good disciple, you've worked hard."
Such a method… only Pu Yehai could have thought of it. Truly worthy of being You Yan Sect's most exceptional disciple!
Pu Yehai's tone was flat. "It's nothing. So long as I can avenge Ding Ping, listening now and then to tales about which girl slipped out to meet her lover, whose undergarments went missing, which rooster refused to crow, or how many hens stopped laying eggs—or even how many bitches Da Huang has been mating with—none of that matters."
"Da Huang mating with… several bitches? Wait, Da Huang… is he a person or…?" Hao Yinqin's eyes bulged.
"Da Huang is a dog. A male dog," Pu Yehai answered evenly.
"Oh… cough, cough! Well, such trivial matters don't really interest me either. Yehai, you've truly endured much during this time."
Hao Yinqin gave a solemn pat on his shoulder. Then his brows drew together suddenly. "But hold on. A mortal girl sneaking off to meet her lover—isn't that improper? And whose perversion drove them to steal undergarments? Could it be some deviant with strange fetishes? Perhaps the hens refusing to lay eggs are somehow linked as well?"
Pu Yehai: "…"
…
Central State.
Wuxiang Sect.
Yiyu Hall.
"You don't need to tend to me. My injuries are nothing."
"But Brother Fu, I—"
"Leave."
Bang!
A chill wind pushed the hall doors open, sending a small figure in pale yellow robes stumbling outside. The doors slammed shut behind her.
Pei Xianqiao stared at the closed doors, tears slipping down her cheeks uncontrollably.
Tap, tap, tap.
Soft footsteps sounded behind her, but lost in grief, she did not notice.
Until a man's startled voice spoke. "Shen Yuefu threw you out?"
Her delicate body shuddered. She turned abruptly. "You! Demon Sovereign Li Luoqi!"
Li Luoqi's lips curved in a wicked smile. "Qiao Qiao, I've come to see you."
Pei Xianqiao hastily wiped her tears and stood, casting nervous glances around. "This is Wuxiang Sect, not a place for demons. You must leave with me, quickly!"
Li Luoqi allowed her small white hand to seize his without resistance, following her to a corner.
"Qiao Qiao, you still haven't answered my question." His gaze fixed on her. Those mischievous yet sharp eyes were faintly red.
Pei Xianqiao instinctively turned her head away, unwilling to meet his eyes. "Brother Fu is injured. He doesn't want anyone to see his weakness. I came out on my own, but tripped at the door…"
"You're lying, Qiao Qiao. Your aura betrays you. You're about to condense your golden core. How could you simply trip and fall?"
Li Luoqi forced her chin up, compelling her to face him.
Pei Xianqiao frowned slightly and shoved his hand away. "Li Luoqi, so what if I'm about to become a Jīndān Zhēnrén? I was born clumsy. Even with cultivation, there are times when I can't save myself from falling."
Li Luoqi narrowed his wicked eyes as she turned her stubborn back to him. His voice lowered. "I see. Since Yao Ranran's return, Shen Yuefu still treats you the same as always, doesn't he?"
The name struck her like a blade. Pei Xianqiao hugged her shoulders tightly. "Yao Ranran… Yao Ranran has gone mad!"
Li Luoqi paused.
Mad? Perhaps so.
He reached out, voice dropping to a dangerous softness. "You don't need to fear her, Qiao Qiao. She wouldn't dare harm you."
A cruel glint flashed in his eyes. Yao Ranran was already under his control. Strange her actions might be, but hurting Pei Xianqiao? That, he was certain, she would never do.