Chapter 377: Profusely Thanking the Other Party

As they say: amateurs watch for the excitement, but experts see the inner workings.

The men from the Major Sects immediately sensed something was amiss.

When Su Huanli had her accident and was brought back by disciples of the Longevity Sect, Yin Da and his group were right there in the county town.

They couldn’t use their Divine Sense flagrantly, but a quick scan confirmed that an injured woman had indeed returned.

They also picked up bits of information from the conversations of those around them.

Although the Longevity Sect had suppressed the news, in the eyes of High-level Cultivators, far too much had been exposed.

Yin Da hadn’t thought much of it at first. In the Starlight Sect, Heart Firming Pills weren’t exceedingly rare, but they weren’t plentiful either.

But now that the Young Master had pointed it out, he and his three brothers immediately understood the problem.

“The Feique Sect has the Elixir Recipe for the Heart Firming Pill, and they have the ingredients!”

Yin Da and the others exchanged glances. They knew that a sect like this couldn’t possibly possess the ingredients for a Heart Firming Pill.

One of the key components, the Feiling Fruit, was a treasure monopolized by the Major Sects. All locations where it could be found were heavily guarded. For a small sect, it was considered a sign of worldliness to have even heard of it, let alone get their hands on it.

‘And the crucial part is that woman,’ Yin Da thought. ‘She doesn’t seem like a particularly exceptional disciple!’

‘An Elixir Pill like the Heart Firming Pill… and the Feique Sect was actually willing to use one to treat her?’

Yin Si muttered, “No wonder they don’t want us to leave…”

Gong Xingsi and the other three men paused.

In truth, they had also begun to realize there were some strange things about this sect.

Moreover, they had been here for a long time and were now unable to leave. No matter how well the “players” concealed themselves, they had still let some information slip.

Gong Xingsi had a vague suspicion that while the Feique Sect was one sect in name, in reality, it was two.

An ordinary Cultivator visiting this place wouldn’t be able to tell, but he could see it clearly: the number of disciples in the Feique Sect simply didn’t add up for a normal sect.

They had far too many people!

Just counting the unique Feique Sect disciples he had seen, there were already three or four hundred.

He had been a Cultivator, after all. His power might be gone, but his memory hadn’t deteriorated that badly. He might not remember each individual, but he could still make out the general picture.

How could a typical small sect have so many disciples?

They simply couldn’t afford to support them.

It wasn’t as if they hadn’t seen other small sects on their journey here.

Furthermore, with the influx of players, the native Feique Sect disciples started to seem a little odd.

They were slightly more reserved than the players and were gradually altering their previous behavioral patterns.

For instance, Feique Sect disciples had previously been taught to have minimal contact with mortals, to the point of abandoning their own parents if necessary.

But now, taking advantage of her master being in seclusion, Shui Ping went back to her family as often as if she were just going for a drink of water.

She had even stopped living at the Feique Sect.

‘What teenage girl doesn’t miss her mother?’

What’s more, most disciples were full of fiery enthusiasm, incredibly eager to go train in the Demon Cave Valley. This was nothing like a typical sect, where some disciples were reluctant to even go to the frontier.

As a result, the pace of their cultivation growth also shattered Gong Xingsi’s understanding of the world.

He couldn’t sense it himself, but Yin Da and his men could see it crystal clear.

Any disciple who went out for training was all but guaranteed to advance a level shortly after they returned.

It was more outrageous than even the Major Sects.

They were advancing toward the strength of a Major Sect; they just lacked a powerhouse to hold down the fort.

Gong Xingsi’s fingers tapped on the tabletop. He suddenly spoke, “Yin Da, go and request permission from that senior. Guarantee that you won’t do anything extraneous—just say you want to help the Feique Sect scout for information on the Fierce Eagle Sect.”

Yin Da was taken aback. “Young Master, will that senior even agree? And why should we get involved in their business?”

“To show goodwill.”

Gong Xingsi was concise. He already had a vague premonition.

‘Maybe staying here isn’t a bad thing after all.’

Gong Xingsi said softly, “After you speak with the senior, if he consents, then go find the current person in charge of the Feique Sect, that disciple named Chen Miaomiao. Ask her if she needs help. See what she says.”

*

Han Daozi stared speechlessly at Yin Da, who wore a smile of reverent awe.

After a long moment, he finally waved his hand. “Fine. As long as you don’t cross into the Demon Cave Valley and don’t say anything you shouldn’t, you won’t get into trouble.”

Yin Da was startled. ‘This is much better news than last time,’ he thought.

Last time, they had been forbidden from even leaving Wang’an County.

They could send messages back to the Yinxiao Sect, but only good news was permitted.

Now, Han Daozi’s words were like an act of grace. Yin Da took a deep breath. “Thank you, Senior.”

Even though they were practically being held prisoner, he still had to thank his captor.

There was no alternative. This was the Cultivation World, where strength was the only language that mattered.

Once Yin Da had left, Zhai Xiaotian suddenly appeared, smiling. “See? Someone is willing to help after all.”

Han Daozi’s beard bristled as he glared. “Every time there’s a problem, someone steps in to help solve it. How are the disciples of the Longevity Sect ever going to improve?”

“He didn’t say he’d solve it, just that he’d gather some information,” Zhai Xiaotian said. “Besides, their rate of progress isn’t slow at all. A trip to the Demon Cave Valley is a true brush with death. And this business with the Fierce Eagle Sect threatens their very survival. It’s not necessarily a bad thing to have someone backing them. I feel that Young Master knows what he’s doing. I just… I truly don’t understand why he wants to help the Longevity Sect.”

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.” Han Daozi took a sip of Spiritual Wine and smacked his lips. “If the Longevity Sect’s Sect Master finds out, she’ll be incredibly grateful. She won’t forget to cut this Young Master in on any good opportunities in the future.”

Song Jiulai was, in fact, a little surprised.

She knew the moment Yin Da approached Chen Miaomiao.

In truth, she already knew Gong Xingsi’s identity.

The Young Master of the Yinxiao Sect, of course!

Figuring it out had been simple.

—He hadn’t changed his name.

She hadn’t even needed to ask around much in the Dragon Frost Swamp to quickly learn who he was.

Fifty years ago, he had been at the Nascent Soul Stage, but an accident caused him to lose his cultivation completely, transforming him from a heaven-blessed prodigy into a mere mortal.

Anyone with a weaker constitution would have jumped off a roof.

And yet, here he was, in her little Feique Sect. And he hadn’t left.

System: “What do you think his motives are?”

Song Jiulai: “That’s not the kind of question a System like you should be asking.”

The System’s voice instantly switched to a flat, mechanical, AI-like tone, enunciating each syllable: “What. Are. His. Mo. Tives?”

Song Jiulai: “…”

Finally, she said with a sigh, “I dunno.”

‘There’s too little information to draw any conclusions,’ she thought. ‘Besides, the most important thing right now is figuring out what the Fierce Eagle Sect wants. It’s true they’re after Su Huanli, and the conspiracy is real. If something has also happened to Jingque True Man, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to have someone near him gathering intelligence.’

System: “Indeed, the situation is not good. The players have already taken the initiative to sneak over to the Fierce Eagle Sect to gather information. I have also recalled Qing Guo, and Shuitan is on the way. If a war really does break out, it’s highly likely the Fierce Eagle Sect has formed an alliance with Demon Cultivators or outside Cultivators.”

After all, if it came to a direct, head-on war, the Fierce Eagle Sect wasn’t strong enough to just steamroll the Feique Sect on its own.

For them to be so aggressive, they had to have some kind of backing.

And that backing, other than Demon Cultivators, could only be outside Cultivators.

Song Jiulai mused, “Maybe I should send my alt account for a spin?”

Her alt was currently skinning beasts on the border of the Demon Cave Valley. If she found an excuse to wander over to the Fierce Eagle Sect, no one would dare stop her.

And that was exactly what Song Jiulai decided to do.