The Golden Orchid Fruit was a private treasure that Nan Zhu had smuggled out of the Golden Ruins. Yu Qing could not find an excuse to claim it for himself, because when Nan Zhu had picked it back then, he had complained about her being greedy, scolded her, and told her to throw it away. Naturally, it could only remain the personal property of Nan Zhu afterwards.
However, at this moment, Nan Zhu naturally had no objections. She carried Baili Xin downstairs, settled her on the bed in her room, and then returned to her own room to fetch the Golden Orchid Fruit and hand it over.
Yu Qing and Mu Aotie subsequently left the small building and seemingly strolled leisurely to the dining hall. However, the two of them did not actually eat. They merely passed through the dining hall, entering through the front door and slipping out through the back door.
The two had not discovered anyone following them. It was simply mealtime, so they went through the motions as a precaution, adding an extra layer of care.
Unexpectedly, there really were people keeping watch in the dark, and they genuinely mistook the pair for going to eat. When they arrived at the dining hall and found the men missing, they searched around but still saw no sign of them. Realising something was amiss, they quickly returned to the mountaintop, found Ke Ran, and reported the situation.
Combining this with the fact that Nan Zhu had previously gone to find Qian Wutong, Ke Ran immediately said, “They might have gone to meet Qian Wutong. Hurry over to the place of Qian Wutong.”
The reporter immediately accepted the order and left.
However, he returned after less than half an hour, saying that Qian Wutong had left. He had pulled a cart of things towards the Kunling Mountain Sect and probably would not return tonight, likely only coming back tomorrow.
Not seeing Qian Wutong naturally meant they did not see Yu Qing and his fellow disciple either.
“Pulling a cart, going to the sect,” Ke Ran muttered a couple of times. His expression suddenly tightened as he realised something.
He immediately turned and walked to the desk in the corner of the wall, quickly ground some ink, and then rapidly wrote a note. He blew it dry, rolled it into a small scroll, grabbed a black feathered bird from the birdcage in the hall, stuffed the small scroll into the canister on its leg, and then quickly walked to the rear balcony to release it into the sky.
At the checkpoint leading from the Ding Zone to the sect, the cart of Qian Wutong was searched as expected. The guards inspected the items on the cart and bent down to look under the carriage before finally waving him through.
Qian Wutong cracked his whip to drive the cart and continued on his way.
The cart was pulled by four horses arranged in two rows. The horsepower was sufficient, and carrying a heavy load up a slope was no problem at all. The bells hung on the carriage jingled and clattered all the way.
After leaving the checkpoint, the cart did not travel too far. It stopped after going around a mountain. Qian Wutong also jumped down and walked in circles around the vehicle to inspect it, as if something was wrong. He then took something from the cart to prop up half of the carriage and adjusted the wheels.
The sky was already growing dark, and the scenery in the mountains became increasingly obscure. Rising mist lingered in the shadowy mountain areas.
It was not until the sky was so dark that it was hard to see things nearby that two figures finally emerged from the forest beside the road. They were precisely Yu Qing and Mu Aotie. The two directly climbed onto the cart, lifted the lid of a large barrel, climbed inside, and conveniently closed the lid behind them.
The two had previously climbed into a wooden barrel once in the Ding Zone at the meeting place agreed upon by Nan Zhu and Qian Wutong. They had only climbed out when approaching the checkpoint, and now they were climbing back in.
Having waited for the men, Qian Wutong looked around, took out the items propping up the carriage from under the cart, and threw them back onto the vehicle. He then pulled out a lantern, lit it, and hung it up. Only then did he sit back on the shaft, crack his whip, and continue driving forward with the bells jingling and clattering all the way.
Although the cart was pulled by four horses, its speed and pulling power were still no match for a single spiritual beast like the Huanshu. Of course, they did not dare to run too fast now that it was dark.
The mountain road was winding and twisting. After a full two hours, the cart finally approached the brightly lit core area of the Kunling Mountain Sect, illuminated by countless lights. Qian Wutong also swung his whip and tapped the large barrel at the back.
The barrel lid immediately opened a gap the width of half a palm, revealing the eyes of Yu Qing and Mu Aotie peering out.
Qian Wutong glanced back and said, “We are almost there.”
Yu Qing hummed in acknowledgement, knowing that the Spirit Valley was just over the large mountain of the Kunling Mountain Sect. “Find a suitable place, put out the lantern, and we will get off.”
Qian Wutong replied, “I can only return after loading the goods tomorrow after daybreak.”
Yu Qing asked, “Roughly what time will you pass by here again?”
Qian Wutong answered, “Under normal circumstances, around the end of the Chen hour or the beginning of the Si hour.”
Yu Qing said, “Then see you tomorrow. We will meet again at the drop off point. If we do not show up by the Si hour, do not wait for us. You go back first, and we will trouble you to make another trip on this road the day after tomorrow.”
He did not know what would happen either. Logically, it should not drag on until daybreak tomorrow without them being able to return, so he could only make some preparations in advance.
Qian Wutong asked, “This is not a place where you can run around everywhere. What exactly are you trying to do?”
Yu Qing reminded him, “The less you know, the easier it will be for you to extricate yourself.”
Qian Wutong then fell silent. When the cart reached an outward curving section of the road, using the cover of the mountain terrain, he grabbed the lantern pole and pulled it back. He blew out the lantern in one breath, and the stars and moon in the night sky instantly became much clearer.
Yu and Mu immediately climbed out of the wooden barrel, replaced the lid, and swiftly darted into the forest beside the road.
When the cart turned out of the curve, the lantern was lit again and hung back in place.
The two men hiding in the forest by the road listened to the sound of the bells fading into the distance. Mu Aotie suddenly asked, “Can this guy be kept alive afterwards?”
Yu Qing did not respond and just waved his hand to signal.
The two each pulled out a bundle of clothes from inside their garments and changed into them. They were exactly the attire of Kunling Mountain disciples. They had acquired them last time when the incident happened at the Meteor Hall. Knowing they might be useful later, they had not destroyed them but had taken them off and hidden them somewhere. As expected, they had dug them out again this time.
After carefully observing the surroundings with the Observation Mantra, Yu Qing began to lead Mu Aotie in a stealthy advance, moving sometimes fast and sometimes slow.
In an elegant guest room, Xiang Lanxuan leaned sideways on a fragrant concubine couch. Her long hair was let down, and she gently turned the pages of a book under the lamplight, reading with deep concentration. The toes of her bare feet occasionally spread and curled, looking relaxed and comfortable, possessing a unique charm.
The male attendant entering the room could not help but look her over from head to toe before reporting, “The cart of Qian Wutong has arrived and has been unloaded. No people were found among the items on the cart, or at least no one was seen slipping off the cart at the unloading site.”
“No one?” Xiang Lanxuan pressed the book in her hand against her chest, her bright eyes staring at him. “Did they get off halfway, or are they still in the Ding Zone and have not left?”
The attendant said, “If the side of Ke Ran found out he was still in the Ding Zone, they would definitely contact us immediately. The possibility of them getting off halfway is relatively high.”
The reason they dared not be certain was that this stretch of the journey was difficult to track. It was very hard to follow quietly without alerting the Kunling Mountain Sect for cooperation. Without the cooperation of the sect, it was easy to alert the targets because of the high risk of being attacked by the mountain guarding spiritual beasts.
Xiang Lanxuan thought for a moment, then suddenly turned over and sat up. Her bare feet touched the ground as she stood up and began pacing back and forth with the book in her hand. “That is not right. The two of them must know their own limitations. Since they dared to sneak out of the Ding Zone, it means that the incident at the Meteor Hall last time was indeed likely their doing.
In other words, if it was just sneaking around over a short distance, they could manage on their own. Qian Wutong is someone who travels back and forth between the Ding Zone and the Kunling Mountain Sect. Since they could find him, what does that indicate?”
The attendant looked as if he had suddenly realised something. “It indicates that the distance they need to sneak across is not short. It is highly likely they are looking for Qian Wutong specifically to come to the Kunling Mountain Sect. Therefore, the possibility of them getting off halfway is small. Although they did not reach the final unloading destination, they should already be near the Kunling Mountain Sect.”
Xiang Lanxuan walked with her hair dishevelled, barefoot, and her hands clasped behind her back. The book she carried lightly tapped against her back. “What are they doing running over here? Could it be?” She stopped and turned her head to look at her subordinate. “The Spirit Valley? Are they coming for the Spirit Valley again?”
The attendant hesitated and said, “The major forces have already thoroughly investigated the Spirit Valley both openly and secretly. If there were really any treasures, the Kunling Mountain Sect would have strictly guarded it long ago. What could be worth their repeated attempts?”
“Yes, what could be worth their repeated attempts?” Xiang Lanxuan muttered to herself as she paced barefoot, deeply lost in thought.
The attendant suggested, “Why not just take Qian Wutong into custody directly? I refuse to believe we cannot pry his mouth open. I doubt he would dare to make a fuss.”
Xiang Lanxuan shook her head. “That is a last resort. From what it looks like now, they only made contact recently, and he seems to be just a person responsible for transport. How much do you think someone like that would know? We would not get any useful information, and instead, we might alert the enemy. It is not worth it for the time being. The person is already in our grasp, and we can take him whenever we want. There is no need to rush. Let us just observe slowly. As long as they make any more moves, they will eventually reveal their flaws. Just keep watching them.”
The attendant responded, “Yes.”
Xiang Lanxuan walked out to the railing and looked at the stars and moon beyond the mountain, seeming somewhat yearning. “So have they actually gone to the Spirit Valley right now or not?” She suddenly turned back, raised an eyebrow, and asked with a smile, “I have never seen what is different about the Spirit Valley at night. Do you think I should take a stroll there under the cover of darkness?”
The attendant was stunned.
Although the Spirit Valley was guarded by a certain number of personnel, the defences could not really be considered very strict for the two senior and junior brothers who had sneaked in. Yu Qing, in particular, understood this more clearly when observing with the Observation Mantra. He felt that the Spirit Valley managed people through rules rather than strictly guarding it with force.
On the contrary, before even reaching the Spirit Valley, Yu Qing sensed the breathing of a colossal creature in the mountains. Not knowing what kind of monstrous thing it was, he had to carefully detour around it.
Once they reached the Spirit Valley, things became easier instead. They easily found their way to the edge of the breached cliff where many orchids grew.
The spiritual energy and mist in front of the cliff were bleak and cold. The darkness below the cliff seemed fathomless and unpredictable, and one could only faintly see thick iron chains driven deeply into the cliff wall.
The only pleasant thing was the faint fragrance of the orchids.
The two brothers hiding under the slope were completely silent. Mu Aotie was on high alert regarding their surroundings, while Yu Qing stared intently at the empty space above the cliff.
After repeated observations, Yu Qing confirmed that his judgment from his last visit was correct. There were indeed invisible cracks in the void, with energy occasionally bursting forth from them.
However, how to contact those void cracks was a problem. After observing the surroundings once more, he picked up a stone and threw it towards the void cracks. The flying stone showed no abnormalities and passed through unimpeded. It took a while before the faint sound of the stone hitting the bottom of the cliff could be heard, showing just how deep it truly was.
Afterwards, he quietly climbed up the hillside to observe the void cracks from a higher angle.
Mu Aotie completely failed to understand why he was repeatedly staring blindly at mid air, but he knew that his fifteenth brother must have a reason for doing so. All he had to do was stay fully vigilant and maintain his guard and precautions.
Suddenly, he noticed an anomaly. A small pebble was flicked out and hit Yu Qing, who was too focused on the slope to look around.
Yu Qing looked down the slope and saw Mu Aotie gesturing to him. Following the signal, he looked back and saw that more and more lanterns were being lit inside the Spirit Valley. Not knowing what was happening, he immediately used the Observation Mantra to check vigilantly.
He would not have known if he had not looked, but once he did, he was startled to discover that people were approaching from both sides of the breach. Even without the Observation Mantra, one could see people carrying lanterns walking over inside the Spirit Valley. Not daring to hesitate any longer, he quickly slipped down the hillside.
People were coming from both sides and from behind. With no way to retreat except for the cliff right in front of them, Yu Qing had no choice but to give Mu Aotie a hand signal. The two climbed down the cliff face together, their figures gradually sinking into the mist.