五月丁香五月丁香激情

After a brief thought, Zhang Xuan replied, “Let’s say 100,000 Source Coins. If we encounter any danger, I’ll ensure you don’t get hurt.”

No matter how strong this Li Yue’an might be, as long as they hadn’t reached the Dharma Aspect realm, it wouldn’t be much of a challenge for him. Protecting someone was just a trivial task.

Fu Yingying was somewhat annoyed. “You’re saying I’m only worth 100,000?”

Zhang Xuan shook his head. “You’re not worth it. I’m just offering a high price to ensure your full cooperation.”

“…”

Fu Yingying gritted her teeth in anger, her pretty eyes glaring at the man before her, wishing she could tear him apart. She practiced the alluring Fox Charm Destiny art, and her every move carried an immense appeal to the opposite sex. Last time it didn’t work, so she had prepared meticulously this time, dressing to impress and using her full charm. Yet, in Zhang Xuan’s eyes, she wasn’t even worth 100,000 Source Coins. It was a serious blow.

“Shall we depart immediately, or do you need to prepare?” Zhang Xuan asked, unwilling to waste more words on her.

“Let’s leave now, but... I need to bring two people along!” Realizing her charm was ineffective, Fu Yingying had no choice but to give up.

Zhang Xuan nodded. She wouldn’t dare come along without some preparation. If he decided to kill her and blame it on Li Yue’an, no one would question it.

After a short wait, an elderly man and a young man approached. The elder bowed respectfully to Fu Yingying. “Miss.”

Fu Yingying introduced them. “Elder Ling, this is my bodyguard, Mo Xiaosheng. He’ll be coming with us today. The other person is Fan Xing, a disciple of Li Yue’an. Mo Xiaosheng, Fan Xing, this is the Destiny Hall Elder, Ling Buyang.”

Zhang Xuan glanced at the pair. The young man’s strength was clear at a glance—Source Pool Realm, sixth level, Organs Easing—not too strong, but not weak either. The elder was harder to gauge, but he exuded a sense of pressure, similar to Elder Liu. This meant he was at least at the second level of Dharma Aspect, the Roaming Realm.

No wonder Fu Yingying dared to come; with such a powerful bodyguard and her own considerable strength, she indeed had some confidence.

Once the team was assembled, Fu Yingying said no more. She climbed onto a small boat, and Zhang Xuan followed closely behind.

“You’re Li Yue’an’s disciple?” Zhang Xuan curiously asked Fan Xing, who was seated nearby.

Fan Xing nodded but seemed unwilling to talk, his expression cold.

“Acting so rude—who gave you the guts?” Zhang Xuan’s brows furrowed. A blade of light formed at his fingertip, and he thrust it forward.

Fan Xing was startled and quickly backed away, almost falling off the boat. At that moment, Mo Xiaosheng’s spirit energy surged, blocking the blade of light.

“Elder Ling, what are you doing?” Fu Yingying snapped, her brows furrowing.

“Nothing much, just teaching him some manners,” Zhang Xuan said lazily, his mind already immersed in the Library of Heaven’s Path to examine the newly generated book.

“Fan Xing, a cultivator from the Hanyuan Dynasty, disciple of Li Yue’an, practices Betraying Fate…”

“Just as I thought!” Zhang Xuan nodded. He had intentionally provoked Fan Xing to force him to use his techniques, thus generating a book to verify Fu Yingying’s claims. It seemed this disciple indeed planned to betray his teacher and even intended to kill him.

Having confirmed Fan Xing’s identity, Zhang Xuan said no more. The boat swayed gently for about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, leaving the black market and returning to Hanyuan City.

The group then took a carriage for another hour, eventually arriving at a small valley surrounded by lush greenery.

Fan Xing pointed to the forest. “My teacher and I have been hiding here. He claims to have accepted me as a disciple, but in reality, I’m just a servant—cooking, cleaning, and constantly berated or beaten. I only get to go to the city once a month to buy supplies…”

Fu Yingying sighed. “Over 10,000 people in Hanyuan City are searching for him. Everyone assumes this Destiny Master is hiding within the city. No one would ever imagine he’s here. Without your help, we’d never have found him!”

The valley was dozens of miles from Hanyuan City, far from any official roads, and filled with Source Beasts. Ordinary people wouldn’t venture here.

“Something’s not right!” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “Destiny Masters are revered. No matter where they go, they live well. If Hanyuan City was no longer safe, he could simply disguise himself and live comfortably in another city. Why hide here like a fugitive?”

Even someone like Feng Yizhou, who had a bounty on his head, could still live openly. How could someone with Li Yue’an’s status and power need to hide in the wilderness like this?

Mo Xiaosheng, silent until now, finally spoke. “Elder Ling, it seems you’re unaware. Li Yue’an not only offended experts from the Destiny Hall but also the Hanyuan royal family. If he stayed in the city or fled to another, he’d eventually be found. Hiding here actually makes him harder to locate.”

Fu Yingying nodded. “Mo Xiaosheng is right. I never would’ve guessed someone of his level would be living here.”

“Is that so?” Zhang Xuan didn’t argue. He turned to Fan Xing. “This valley doesn’t seem to have any houses or huts. Do you live in a cave?”

Fan Xing visibly hesitated before finally nodding. “Yes… we live in a cave below.”

“How big is the cave? Where exactly is it? I can send my spirit ahead to scout,” Zhang Xuan suggested.

“Sending your spirit? What do you mean?” Mo Xiaosheng frowned. “Using your spirit to scout may alert a similarly strong cultivator. If you startle him and he escapes, how will we find him again?”

“Why are you so nervous?” Zhang Xuan smirked. “This place doesn’t look like it’s been lived in. Li Yue’an dares to kill benefactors and teachers; someone so bold wouldn’t settle down quietly here, only going to the city once a month. You believe it? I don’t!”

He turned to Fu Yingying with disappointment. “If you wanted to set a trap for me, you should’ve picked a better excuse and location. Do you really expect me to buy this?”

“What do you mean?” Fu Yingying asked, her confusion seeming genuine.

Zhang Xuan froze for a moment before realization dawned. He turned to Mo Xiaosheng. “It seems you’ve hidden well. Should I call you Mo Xiaosheng or Li Yue’an?”

“You think Mo Xiaosheng is Li Yue’an? That’s impossible!” Fu Yingying exclaimed. “He’s been loyal to me for years, always diligent and devoted…”

“Whether it’s true or not, we’ll find out!” Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. “Mo Xiaosheng, with your strength, it should be easy to send your spirit to scout. Why don’t you do it?”

“If I separate my spirit, my body will be defenseless. If you attack me then, what chance do I have?” Mo Xiaosheng sneered.

“With Miss Fu here, you should be safe. Surely you trust your own lady?” Zhang Xuan countered.

Fu Yingying nodded. “Mo Xiaosheng, don’t worry. I’ll ensure Elder Ling doesn’t attack.”

“He might not attack, but I’ll strike you instead!” Mo Xiaosheng suddenly lunged at Fu Yingying, his fists swinging with explosive force. The air roared like thunder as his strike tore through it, seemingly capable of crushing anything in its path.

Fu Yingying paled, unable to react in time. Just as she prepared to defend herself, two talismans flew from her hand, exploding into a golden shield. The shield held briefly but shattered under Mo Xiaosheng’s assault. She braced for impact when a calm voice rang in her ears.

“Don’t forget the 100,000 Source Coins…”

The next moment, Ling Buyang appeared before her, meeting Mo Xiaosheng’s attack with his own punch. Their fists collided, producing a sharp shockwave. Both men took a step back, evenly matched.

“Mo Xiaosheng, what are you doing?” Fu Yingying roared, livid.

“Mo Xiaosheng? I told you, he’s Li Yue’an!” Zhang Xuan sighed, shaking his head at her obliviousness.

“I thought I’d concealed myself well,” Li Yue’an admitted, his eyes filled with disbelief. “How did you see through me?”

“You did hide well, but you made two glaring mistakes,” Zhang Xuan said. “First, your disciple, Fan Xing. A mere Organs Easing cultivator daring to scheme against a Ninth Level Source Pool expert? Either incredibly brave or unbelievably foolish.”

Li Yue’an and Fan Xing exchanged glances but said nothing.

“A man who practices Betraying Fate, gaining strength by betraying others, would naturally be paranoid. You wouldn’t trust a disciple who might betray you in return. Can you honestly say Fan Xing wouldn’t succumb to that temptation?”

“And that’s enough to guess my identity?” Li Yue’an frowned.

“Ofcourse not. Here’s the second clue: the trip to the black market takes hours round-trip, leaving little time for anything else. A paranoid man like you wouldn’t let Fan Xing wander so far unsupervised, even if just to buy groceries. This means you must be nearby—and the only person who fits is you.”

Author\'s Note