Chapter 541 - 50: Heartfelt Admiration, Furious Loss of Composure

Still, this image was a far cry from what he had imagined.

’He had originally thought that the person in control of such a vast intelligence network would be a steady, experienced, and incredibly shrewd individual. He never expected it to be such a young man—someone who might not even be as old as him, and whose cultivation was only at the Late-stage Foundation Establishment.’

’He looked like a foppish playboy. If it weren’t for Soulless and Chi Huo both saying so, he would have thought he was being played for a fool.’

While Song Changsheng was observing Shen Yin, Shen Yin was observing him as well. He was equally curious about this dark horse who had proven his judgment wrong.

After sizing him up, he took the initiative to cup his fist toward Song Changsheng. "I am Shen Yin. It’s a pleasure to meet the Patriarch of the Song Clan. May I ask what business Patriarch Song has with me?"

"I have sought you out, fellow cultivator, to purchase some information. If you are not in a hurry, would you be willing to move this conversation elsewhere?" Although he was still half-doubting, Song Changsheng remained courteous.

Shen Yin glanced at Soulless and Blood Princess, then chuckled. "I have nothing better to do. I’ll go with Patriarch Song."

"This way, please!"

Song Changsheng gestured with his hand, and the three of them exited Clear Heart Courtyard together.

Only after they had left did Soulless whisper softly, "Yinr Sheng, you must live well."

"Why didn’t you take him with us? In this world, he’s the only one left on our side," Blood Princess said quizzically as she walked up beside him.

"We’re a thorn in the Holy Sect’s side right now. His strength isn’t sufficient yet. Following us would bring him more harm than good. The way things are now is fine. We might even need his help in the future."

Blood Princess nodded lightly and parted her red lips. "What do we do next?"

"Leave Luoxia City, and then... wait."

"Wait?"

Soulless looked up at the sky, his voice melancholic. "That’s right. Wait. Only by obtaining that item will we have any hope of revenge."

"Are you sure he’ll go looking for that treasure? And even if he does, will he willingly hand that item over to us?" Blood Princess’s tone was thick with distrust for Song Changsheng.

"Heh, we have no choice. We’re like trees without roots, duckweed without water. We have all this power, yet we can only hide in dark corners."

"Since we’ve chosen him, we can only trust him. I hope... that we can befriend him..." Soulless clasped his hands behind his back, a complex light flickering in his eyes...

After the three of them left Clear Heart Courtyard, they entered a teahouse. In a corner by the window, they saw a restless Zhuang Yuechan and a leisurely Shen Qingxiu, who was savoring her tea.

To his surprise, Bai Zhengchun was also there. He stood by the window with his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes fixed in the direction of Clear Heart Courtyard.

"You’re finally out." Seeing Song Changsheng emerge unharmed, Zhuang Yuechan let out a heartfelt sigh of relief.

Song Changsheng gave her a reassuring look, then bowed to Shen Qingxiu and Bai Zhengchun. "I’ve troubled you both, Martial Aunt, Martial Uncle. This disciple is endlessly grateful."

"It’s no trouble. We just moved to a different spot for tea. Did the negotiations go smoothly?" A gentle smile graced Shen Qingxiu’s face. Though she was speaking to Song Changsheng, her eyes were fixed on Chi Huo Old Ghost and Shen Yin behind him.

"Everything went smoothly. There was a small misunderstanding, but it’s been cleared up."

"That’s good." Shen Qingxiu smiled faintly and said no more.

Just then, Bai Zhengchun turned around. He completely ignored Chi Huo and Song Changsheng, walking straight up to Shen Yin. "I never thought you’d dare to come to Luoxia City," he said coldly.

Unfazed, Shen Yin grinned. "It wasn’t up to me this time. You can’t blame me."

"Hmph. You’d best behave yourself. Otherwise..." A murderous glint flashed in Bai Zhengchun’s eyes and was gone.

Song Changsheng watched them with some surprise. ’Are these two old enemies?’

’But with Shen Yin’s cultivation, there’s no way he could have provoked Bai Zhengchun.’

Facing Bai Zhengchun’s threat, Shen Yin was still grinning. He spread his hands. "Well, *he’s* the one who invited me. If you want me to leave, you’ll have to ask him first."

Seeing Shen Yin’s pointing finger, Song Changsheng felt his scalp tingle. He quickly cupped his fist toward Bai Zhengchun, but before he could explain, Bai Zhengchun raised a hand to cut him off.

"Since you’re the one who brought him, then you watch him. If he moves more than thirty feet away from you, kill him!"

With that, Bai Zhengchun turned and left.

The killing intent abruptly vanished. Song Changsheng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and glanced at Shen Yin. The man acted as if nothing had happened, casually sitting down in a chair and even ordering a fresh pot of Spirit Tea.

"My junior brother’s killing intent can be a bit intense, but it wasn’t aimed at you. Don’t overthink it. I heard your conversation with Soulless. Are you really going to search for that treasure?" Shen Qingxiu poured Song Changsheng a cup of tea as she spoke calmly.

"Martial Aunt, is something wrong?" Song Changsheng asked cautiously.

Since he had asked Shen Qingxiu to back him up, Song Changsheng never expected to hide anything from her. Thus, he wasn’t surprised that she had overheard his conversation with Soulless.

Shen Qingxiu glanced at Shen Yin, her expression turning chilly. "You should ask him who Soulless and that Blood Princess are before you decide whether to go or not."

Hearing this, Song Changsheng sensed something was wrong and turned his gaze to Shen Yin.

Shen Yin smiled and leisurely set down his teacup. "Want information? One thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

With a grim face, Song Changsheng took out one thousand Spirit Stones.

After accepting the Spirit Stones, the smile on Shen Yin’s face immediately became warmer. He sat up straight. "Soulless and Blood Princess. The former was once the Great Guardian of the Blood Demon Sect, his status second only to the Sect Leader. He later defected and fled."

"The latter is the Blood Demon Sect’s new Squad Leader for the Bian and Ling Provinces. She has full authority over the Blood Demon Sect’s operations in the two provinces. At the same time, she’s also responsible for hunting down Soulless and finding the Blood Demon Sect’s treasure."

"Oh, right. The person who led the sneak attack on Luoxia City back then was Blood Princess."

After hearing this, Song Changsheng’s mind exploded with a BOOM. Blood rushed through his body. He grabbed Shen Yin by the collar, his eyes bloodshot, and ground out through clenched teeth, "What did you say? They’re Blood Demons?"

Facing the ferocious Song Changsheng, Shen Yin showed no fear on his face. He corrected, "To be precise, they were once Blood Demon Sect Members, but now they are merely two defectors."

"What’s the difference? Their hands are still stained with blood!" Song Changsheng seethed with rage.

The Song Clan’s first stronghold in Luoxia City was destroyed in that battle. That was nine lives!

Shen Yin calmly wiped the spittle from his face and looked Song Changsheng seriously in the eye. "I know you’re furious, and I know why."

"But from what I know, the Song Clan’s stronghold was destroyed in the aftermath of the battle. It takes two to tango. The Blood Demon Sect is guilty, but is Luoxia City blameless?"

"Absurd!" Shen Qingxiu slammed the table and said coldly, "Yinr Sheng, enough of your sophistry! Don’t think I won’t dare to kill you just because of the organization you lead!"

"I’m just speaking the truth," Shen Yin sneered, but he still obediently shut his mouth.

Seeing him back down, Shen Qingxiu turned to Song Changsheng. "Let him go for now. My junior brother has already made arrangements. All we have to do is wait for news."

As soon as she finished speaking, a sudden BOOM echoed from the horizon.

The group hurried to the window. They saw several streaks of light shoot up into the sky from within the city. Meanwhile, intense combat fluctuations radiated from the direction of the West City gate, the commotion absolutely massive.

Song Changsheng didn’t dare to imagine what a huge disaster it would have been if this battle had taken place within the city proper.

"Martial Aunt, aren’t you going to help?" Zhuang Yuechan asked, looking at Shen Qingxiu.

Shen Qingxiu shook her head and gave Shen Yin a cold look. "I have to watch him."

The battle raged on for a quarter of an hour, and even the clouds in the sky were blasted apart by their Divine Techniques.

"Who won?" Zhuang Yuechan’s voice broke the silence.

"With Luoxia City as their backing, it’s impossible for my junior brother and the others to lose. I just don’t know if they managed to capture them," Shen Qingxiu said in a low voice, staring in the direction of the battlefield.

Just then, a streak of light landed at the teahouse. It was Bai Zhengchun, who had left earlier. At this moment, Evil Qi surged around him, so intense that it made one’s face pale just to look at him.

"Junior Brother, how did the battle go?"

...