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Qing Xuanling felt a bit confused the first time she heard the secret code. Initially, she thought the informant regarding the secret entrance would be a figure from the Ink Sword Sect, but judging by the code's phrasing, that didn't seem to be the case.
On the contrary, it seemed like a code created by someone who deeply hated the Ink Sword Sect. This made Qing Xuanling wonder even more who was influential enough to allow people to enter to the clandestine auction without being noticed by the sect.
Her eyes swept over the old man's expression before her. He looked ordinary, typical of a mortal in his final years. His gaze didn't seem very clear, not even reacting to the secret code Qing Xuanling had spoken.
Qing Huayan's expression tensed. She began to think that perhaps the rogue cultivators had played a nasty trick on Qing Xuanling...
"Cough, cough!"
The old man suddenly began coughing heavily as clarity returned to his eyes. He carefully inspected his surroundings and quickly patted the ground.
Qing Xuanling's eyes lit up, and she quickly placed a pouch containing two hundred spirit stones on the ground. It pained her slightly to spend so much just for information, but she felt a bit better thinking the money actually belonged to Qing Hanlin.
The decrepit old man reached into the pouch and meticulously counted the spirit stones inside. He nodded in satisfaction once he reached two hundred. His hands moved swiftly as he left a small piece of paper on the ground.
His eyes lost their clarity once again after that, reverting to the appearance of an old man who had no idea what was happening around him.
Qing Xuanling's gaze was profound as she observed the old man. His acting was simply too good. Qing Xuanling would never have suspected that the old man, with his head tilted back and drool falling from his mouth, was an information broker.
Much less one who possessed such sensitive and dangerous information.
She sighed deeply, impressed by skills that had little to do with cultivation, and quickly stood up, with Qing Huayan following closely behind.
"Ninth Sister, what did he give you?" Qing Huayan looked curiously at the paper in Qing Xuanling's hand.
Qing Xuanling shook her head as she unfolded the paper and read it. "It should be the location of the underground auction, it shouldn't be anything mo—"
Her expression suddenly froze.
Qing Xuanling's steps halted midway, causing Qing Huayan to bump into her shoulder, but she didn't notice as she reread the paper, frowning.
'Hello, little Ziqhing I've recently been moving around the city, especially through the Ink Sword Sect's territory. I even managed to take over an old intelligence organization. And coincidentally, today, while overseeing a few things, I heard the news that some young members of the Qing clan were causing trouble! You can't imagine my surprise when I saw your face, little Ziqhing, or should I say, little Xuanling? But don't worry, I bear no grudge for lying to me; in fact, I appreciate you even more! I'm open to doing business, so come with your little friends if you want to enter the underground auction at this location xxxx. I hope we can meet up'
Qing Xuanling's expression was complicated. There was only one person who would call her Ziqhing: Su Meiren.
Despite not having heard from her in a long time, she had never forgotten her. Especially since she was a figure connected to Madam Yechan.
Still, she had always been very cautious around her despite Su Meiren's apparent kindness, thanks to Madam Yechan's warning. Moreover, Qing Xuanling's instincts constantly warned her to stay alert in her presence.
There was an almost imperceptible but real aura around her that made people feel nervous in her presence.
Qing Xuanling's caution had only increased recently since the night the assassins ambushed her. She clearly remembered the warning Madam Yechan had given her before the attack.
At first, she hadn't noticed anything strange, but upon reconsidering, she realized it was highly likely that Madam Yechan knew she was about to be attacked, yet still did nothing. This caused a trace of caution to grow in Qing Xuanling's heart toward her.
Connecting the dots, Qing Xuanling could conclude that the backgrounds of Madam Yechan and Su Meiren weren't exactly the cleanest. They might even be part of the...
She didn't dare to think further. In the end, she simply shook her head and sighed. Regardless of the truth, making contact with such an enigmatic figure as Su Meiren would throw their relatively stable situation into chaos.
Unfortunately, Qing Xuanling already knew she had no other choice now. It was either play along with Su Meiren's games or fail the mission.
"Ninth Sister, snap out of it!" Qing Huayan shook Qing Xuanling's shoulder forcefully. "You've been frozen for several minutes! Does that old man's information have some problem?!
We still have time to go back and give him a beating if it does!"
Qing Xuanling blinked, momentarily speechless. Her lips curled upward without her realizing it.
"Haha, don't worry, there's no problem with the information..." She smiled bitterly as she continued. "It's just that I've dragged everyone into my personal affairs."
Qing Huayan frowned and opened her mouth, but Qing Xuanling interrupted her while shaking her head.
"Wait until we reunite with everyone. It's a somewhat complicated matter to explain, so I don't want to repeat it multiple times."
Qing Huayan, though slightly annoyed at not being able to satisfy her curiosity immediately, nodded and quickly followed Qing Xuanling to wait for the others. They had planned to wait near the market entrance.
Their plan proved effective when, three hours later, they had reunited with everyone.
None of them had encountered many problems escaping the Ink Sword Sect's pursuit, so Qing Xuanling and Qing Huayan didn't face much difficulty intercepting them as they approached the market.
Luckily, this time they had found an abandoned place with no one inhabiting to meet.
Unlike where they had been before, where they failed to find a secluded, empty spot to hide, the area around the market was quite desolate, with dozens of abandoned houses since no one wanted to live near the market.
Qing Xuanling didn't want to repeat the same mistake. Although she avoided at all costs thinking about what had happened before due to their current situation, she still felt quite guilty about Ji Mimi.
"Ninth Sister, what did you want to tell us?" Qing Rannuan asked as she took out a cloth sheet from her storage bag and spread it over the dusty floor. "From what Sixth Sister said, it doesn't seem like you're very happy with the information you bought."
Qing Rannuan, as always, went straight to the heart of the matter.
An uncomfortable smile appeared on Qing Xuanling's face.
"It's not that the situation is bad or good, well, it is..." Qing Xuanling scratched her head. "It's complicated and, above all, my fault. I think I've dragged you all into some personal matters."
Qing Tanwei smiled faintly. "Don't worry, this kind of thing can happen. As long as it's nothing too serious, it'll be fine. And even if it is, we can always ask the clan for help. Even though this is a trial, our safety is the top priority."
"The worrying part is that I don't know how bad the situation actually is..." Qing Xuanling sighed and, with no other choice, explained the events surrounding her relationship with Su Meiren.
How she met her, her apparent enmity with Madam Yechan, a very good friend of hers, and the possibility that she was a demonic cultivator.
Yes, Qing Xuanling was fairly certain Su Meiren was a demonic cultivator.
The expressions of the rest turned strange as they heard the story.
Qing Wentian looked at Qing Xuanling, speechless.
"Xuanling, aren't you something else? Not only do you have a rather close relationship with a possible demonic cultivator, but you also have some sort of enmity with a woman who is almost certainly a demonic cultivator! Your luck with women is supreme!"
Qing Xuanling's face flushed. "Luck of what, idiot?! We're in a bad situation, you know?!"
The others couldn't help but laugh. Qing Muyu was the most relaxed as he shrugged.
"You're worrying too much, little ninth. That Su Meiren doesn't necessarily have anything against you. From what you've told me, all she's done is warn you about the owner of that shop you usually visit. Maybe she was genuinely worried about you."
"Even if that weren't the case, she has no reason to attack you other than your connection to the shop's owner. But I doubt she knows you two have a deep relationship. The reason she summoned you is likely something else. It's unlikely she wants to harm you."
Qing Muyu's analysis was concise and logical. The others also shared their viewpoints, and after considering it for a long time, they all decided to go meet Su Meiren.
Soon, they all set out and headed toward the location provided by Su Meiren. They moved through the shadows, careful not to be seen by the Ink Sword Sect's enforcers, and managed to reach what appeared to be a teahouse after walking for an hour.
The teahouse was made of wood with green trim and decorated with flowers at the entrance. Strangely, however, the teahouse had no name, and no one was entering or leaving despite the establishment's good condition.
After deliberating for a bit, Qing Xuanling took the lead and entered the teahouse. To her and the others' surprise, the interior of the teahouse had nothing to do with what could be seen through the windows from the outside.
The warm establishment with dozens of wooden tables and comfortable sofas was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a small courtyard with a fairly large pond in the center.
Sitting by the pond, holding fish food and radiating a unique, maternal aura, was Su Meiren. She wore purple robes this time, which failed to conceal her prominent figure. Su Meiren's gaze remained maternal as she turned and smiled at Qing Xuanling.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, little Ziqhing, or do you prefer I call you Xuanling?"
Her smile was pure and warm, evoking a comforting feeling in anyone who witnessed it. But it did not move Qing Xuanling's heart; on the contrary, it chilled it.
"Senior Sister Su... It's been a long time." Qing Xuanling took a deep breath. "I don't know if this meeting was expected, but it was certainly unexpected. Did you come to the city to investigate the Ink Sword Sect?"
Su Meiren smiled faintly at the girl's probing attempt. She chuckled and gestured for them to come closer with her hand.
"Stop trying to fish for information and bring your friends. I can't be a bad hostess, or I'll be the laughingstock among my colleagues." Su Meiren made a gesture with her hand, and ten chairs appeared around the pond.
Qing Xuanling hesitated for a moment and turned to the others, who had somewhat tense expressions, and nodded. She walked toward Su Meiren with the others following behind her.
She no longer hesitated and sat down beside her.
Su Meiren smiled. "Have you visited Mei Yechan recently?"
Qing Xuanling's expression soured, and she shook her head. Su Meiren laughed at that.
"I knew it! That night I told her that if she didn't step out, it would only make you doubt her, but as always, she's just as stubborn as ever!" Su Meiren tossed some of the fish food from her hand into the pond, where several colorful fish seemed to play.
Qing Xuanling's eyes filled with bewilderment. "... That night? Wait, don't tell me you two...?!"
Su Meiren chuckled. "Yes, yes, we were both watching when you were ambushed by those assassins. By the way, I have to say your performance was quite impressive. I honestly thought you'd force Mei Yechan to intervene and save your ass."
Qing Xuanling's mind grew slightly confused. The main reason for her suspicion toward Madam Yechan was that she hadn't said anything even when she seemed to know about the impending ambush. She really couldn't think of a reason why Madam Yechan couldn't have warned her more directly.
But apparently, despite not warning her directly, she had been looking out for her from the shadows.
A warm feeling arose in her heart...
But she didn't let that make her forget the important things.
"Why are you telling me all this? As far as I know, you two don't have a good relationship. Madam Yechan doesn't think highly of you, and you seemed to want to distance me from her when we met for the second time..." Qing Xuanling wasn't naive.
Everything Su Meiren was saying was merely to eliminate the doubt she had begun to feel toward Madam Yechan, something that would benefit both of them, not Su Meiren.
Su Meiren let out a soft chuckle as her eyes grew deep.
"Of course I'm not doing this without a reason. Mei Yechan is just a detestable woman who doesn't deserve a friend, or whatever you are to her. But..." Su Meiren smiled bitterly. "Mei Yechan is much stronger than me. If I don't do her a favor, she might kill me for what I'm about to ask of you."
Qing Xuanling's gaze flashed with various emotions, but above all, caution. "... What do you want from us? You summoned all of us for a reason, didn't you?"
The other companions also looked at Su Meiren cautiously. Although she hadn't shown any malice so far and had even appeared very warm thanks to her maternal demeanor, that only increased their distrust.
The most dangerous things usually had a beautiful and warm appearance, after all.
Su Meiren's eyes filled with amusement.
"Heh, even though the Qing clan is quite small, you certainly know how to raise your younger generation. It's good that none of you have lowered your guard. I'm not a good person, after all." Su Meiren's eyes gleamed dangerously, sending chills down their spines.
She looked at the fish in the pond for a moment, considering what she should and shouldn't say before speaking.
"I know you want to enter the underground auction. I won't ask for the reason, but I need you to retrieve certain things from inside. If you can do me that favor, I will personally show you the route to enter the auction and even protect you when you leave."
A sharp glint passed through Qing Xuanling's eyes. "Why don't you get them yourself? You're much stronger, probably in the Foundation Establishment realm. I don't understand why you need us."
Su Meiren let out a soft sigh.
"You overestimate me, girl. I'm still in the Qi Refinement realm. As for why I need you to fetch them instead of me... Well, it's because I'll be somewhat occupied."
Qing Xuanling hesitated. "Occupied with what?"
"Occupied dealing with the damn cat that's been playing with you all since you entered the Ink Sword Sect's territory."
Su Meiren's eyes flashed for the first time with what appeared to be hatred.