Lizhi wore a puzzled expression, though naturally she didn't dare suspect that Chu Xingchen might be spacing out.
After all, a Nascent Soul expert would at minimum be a sect master of a major sect or a grand elder of a smaller sect in these parts.
She rarely ever saw such figures. For senior cultivators, Lizhi had always maintained the utmost respect.
"Why are you here?"
Lizhi heard the voice first, then discovered that a handsome young man in exquisitely luxurious clothing had suddenly appeared beside her. He looked at Chu Xingchen with confusion, paying no mind to the fact that he was now standing right next to her as well.
A perfunctory smile appeared on Chu Xingchen's face as he answered casually:
"I'm here for the same reason you are."
Xu Jin fell silent for a moment before finally speaking. "So your side has received word too?"
"Since you arrived first, you must know quite a bit about the situation." Chu Xingchen raised an eyebrow slightly. "Tell me what you can."
"For you, naturally I can speak."
For the first time, Xu Jin's gaze shifted to Lizhi at Chu Xingchen's side.
Lizhi was quite perceptive. Without waiting for Chu Xingchen to speak, she quietly turned and walked away on her own.
Chu Xingchen reached out with spiritual energy, holding onto Lizhi's sleeve, and transmitted his voice:
"We'll use voice transmission. You naturally won't hear what we don't want you to hear. The situation here isn't right. Don't wander off."
Lizhi smiled rather awkwardly upon hearing this, then obediently stood to the side, lowering her gaze to study the ground.
After a brief hesitation, Xu Jin transmitted to Chu Xingchen: "The Xuanqing Heavenly Sect has concrete leads pointing to the West Niu He Province Buddhist sect. We're not yet certain whether the Central Province Buddhist sect knew about it or participated."
"However, we always prepare for the worst-case scenario. Our sect is making a show of searching openly to create a diversion. I rarely appear publicly, and my cultivation is just barely sufficient."
"So the sect sent me here to investigate. Mainly, we need to determine whether the Central Province Buddhist sect is involved, so we can prepare early for the future."
"This is originally a sect secret, but Senior Bai from your sect has exchanged quite a bit of crucial intelligence. The Xuanqing Heavenly Sect intends to handle this matter together with the Heavenly Derivation Sect with the utmost sincerity."
Chu Xingchen nodded slightly. "Then I too represent the Heavenly Derivation Sect in handling this matter together with the Xuanqing Heavenly Sect, with my utmost sincerity."
If he could actually represent the Heavenly Derivation Sect, that is.
Naturally, Xu Jin didn't know that Chu Xingchen wasn't actually from the Heavenly Derivation Sect.
After all, during the last major assembly, the Heavenly Derivation Sect had practically wanted to hang Chu Xingchen on their sect's signboard, to prove that this peerless genius was a treasure they'd kept hidden for who knows how many years.
Compared to such a display, any external investigations naturally seemed less credible.
At least in Xu Jin's eyes now, Chu Xingchen could indeed represent the Heavenly Derivation Sect.
With that established, many things could now be discussed.
Xu Jin's gaze subtly directed Chu Xingchen toward a nearby Buddha statue, then he began:
"The great war back then swept through nearly all of West Niu He Province. Not only were many spirit veins shattered, but in the direst circumstances, no thought was given to future consequences. Many methods, both proper and otherwise, were employed upon this land."
"Thus, the West Niu He Province of today no longer bears the vibrant vitality recorded in ancient texts."
"Beyond this... the spirit veins of West Niu He Province have also been deliberately suppressed by Central Province."
"After all, demons also rely on spiritual energy. Now that spiritual energy is nearly all concentrated in Central Province, if those demons want to rise again, they must find another path. Even if it's a dead end, that's still better than having no road at all."
Chu Xingchen immediately understood. "You mean wish power?"
Xu Jin nodded. "In terms of collecting and developing wish power, naturally the Buddhist sect is the foremost. Other immortal sects only know a thing or two, and none have the Buddhist sect's vast quantities."
"Secondly, if demons are to reawaken, naturally it should begin in West Niu He Province."
"Those monks in Central Province may seem carefree, but their desire for control is incredibly strong. If the West Niu He Province Buddhist sect is truly involved with the demons, I don't believe the Central Province Buddhist sect wouldn't know."
"The Buddhist sect has never been welcomed by other immortal sects, and their treatment is quite poor. Most immortal sects don't even want Buddhist sects spreading their teachings in territories under their jurisdiction. No one knows whether the Buddhist sect might stake everything on a desperate gamble."
"Or perhaps the Buddhist sect believes they have the means to suppress those already-defeated demons. After all, there are always fools who like to think themselves clever."
"I'm here preparing for the Myriad Buddha Assembly three days from now. This kind of grand gathering has always been about harvesting believers' wish power. Once collected, that wish power must naturally be extracted."
"We need only track where this wish power goes, and we can follow the trail to continue our investigation."
Chu Xingchen glanced around, then asked, "You came alone?"
"Fewer people make things easier. And fewer tracks to leave."
Xu Jin answered, then turned his gaze to Lizhi again, asking:
"Is this Foundation Establishment cultivator your disciple... or someone else?"
Chu Xingchen was equally direct in his transmission: "She's from the Heavenly Derivation Sect's Sky Patrol Division here in West Niu He Province. I'm not familiar with the specific situation here. Having someone to guide me through unfamiliar territory is convenient. The Heavenly Derivation Sect checked her background before confirming her as our choice."
"So what were you doing wandering around outside earlier?"
Xu Jin retrieved a pale red stone, similar to a spirit stone, from his spatial ring:
"This is modified wish power from our sect. Even if the trail is lost, we can track it through this trace of wish power. I've been injecting it into Buddha statues to see if we can track multiple sources simultaneously."
Hearing this, Chu Xingchen gave him a thumbs up:
"As expected of a disciple of the Xuanqing Heavenly Sect. Keep up the good work. When you're done, come find me at the Zhaocai Tavern. We'll discuss the specifics of our next actions."
With that, Chu Xingchen patted Lizhi, who was still counting grains of sand with her head down. "Let's go."
Lizhi reacted quickly. She flashed a perfectly polite smile at Xu Jin, then hurried after Chu Xingchen.
Watching Chu Xingchen leave without a backward glance after giving only the name of a tavern, Xu Jin couldn't help but transmit after him:
"Where are you going?"
He'd shared most of the intelligence and tasks, and Chu Xingchen just said to meet at a tavern?
What was this? Wasn't he going to exchange information?
Was this the Heavenly Derivation Sect's "utmost sincerity"?
Chu Xingchen glanced back with a smile, transmitting:
"Naturally, I'm waiting for good news. I don't have any modified wish power. Besides, you are none other than the great Xu Jin of the Xuanqing Heavenly Sect."
"I trust you to handle such matters. I won't trouble you further. We'll join forces again in three days."
Xu Jin was momentarily at a loss for words.
Chu Xingchen noticed the slightly helpless expression on Xu Jin's face and continued transmitting:
"Don't worry. I'll make preparations these next few days. I certainly won't let your efforts go to waste."
Hearing this, Xu Jin's expression improved somewhat. If this man could befriend Yu Yang and grow close to Bai Xuan Ling, he probably kept his word.
Besides, running into Chu Xingchen was a good thing.
At least this person could be trusted to some degree. Moreover, his combat strength was sufficient. Handling matters would be easier and less prone to error.
With these thoughts, Xu Jin simply noted down the name of the tavern, then returned to his tasks.
Secretly hiding this wish power within Buddha statues wasn't a simple matter. Otherwise, he would have finished long ago.
Lizhi walked beside Chu Xingchen, wanting to look back at Xu Jin one more time, only to discover that in the blink of an eye, the man who had been there just moments ago seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Her expression showed slight surprise...
What kind of expert cultivation was this? She hadn't sensed him at all throughout their encounter, and she couldn't even see him now...
"Same as me. Nascent Soul stage."
Lizhi heard Chu Xingchen's response from beside her, and she looked at him with shock in her eyes.
How could this great lord hear the thoughts in her heart?
Could Nascent Soul experts also probe people's minds?
"I can't hear your inner thoughts without putting my consciousness into your head. Even Nascent Soul experts can't do that."
Seeing Lizhi's increasingly shocked expression, Chu Xingchen sighed lightly and explained:
"Your expression and eyes gave you away."
Upon hearing this, Lizhi narrowed her eyes, shaking her head slightly from side to side, as if wanting Chu Xingchen to continue guessing what she was thinking.
Chu Xingchen: "..."
For a moment, Chu Xingchen wasn't entirely certain whether this person's brain was still functioning properly.
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