Chapter 269: Hidden Five
The cabin’s dark red wooden door was pushed open.
In the cabin space, formation scripts emerged one after another, causing the surrounding air to solidify as well.
Yin Five’s tall and sturdy figure appeared at the door, appearing in his early thirties, with slightly curly long hair and rough yet textured skin. Just standing there gave off a majestic aura of reaching heaven and standing on earth.
“Nine Bro, we finally meet in the way of Hidden Sect members. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time,” Li Weiyi said, looking at Shi Jiuzhai who walked in.
Shi Jiuzhai was the first human Li Weiyi truly encountered after arriving in this world. Back then, seeing him exhaling into clouds and stepping dozens of feet at a time was like seeing a god.
Now, meeting again in this way, Li Weiyi felt a surge of pride in his heart: “How could we be mere weeds?”
Yesterday he was like a god to me, today I too am a god.
…
Whether Shi Jiuzhai was a Hidden Sect member, Li Weiyi had long guessed.
First, a year ago, after Li Weiyi and Li Qing had just infiltrated Jiu Li Hidden Sect, Jiu Li Hidden Sect received the news shortly after. This was later told to Li Weiyi by Yin Twenty-Four.
Second, after being captured by Shi Jiuzhai and Shi Shishi, Li Weiyi inexplicably escaped on the ship.
What truly confirmed for Li Weiyi that Shi Jiuzhai definitely had issues was after the meeting between Hidden Lord and the Great Lord of Earth Wolf King Army in the Immortal Realm Space at Zangxian Town back then.
During the chat with Li Weiyi, Hidden Lord revealed that he had once considered using Immortal Law Star to lure the enemy to Cang Li Tribe’s Ancestral Mountain and wipe them out in one fell swoop. Sacrificing Cang Li Tribe in exchange for Jiu Li’s peace.
If Hidden Lord wanted to do this, then Shi Jiuzhai must inevitably be his man.
Later, obtaining the Hidden Person Roster also confirmed this.
“Greetings, Hidden Person!”
Shi Jiuzhai cupped his fists in salute, sat beside Yin Two, and sighed with emotion: “Fate is truly wondrous! More than a year ago, when we met on the mountain at Zangxian Town, you and your companion were as destitute as two wolf cubs. Who would have thought that in such a short time, tonight we two would be sitting here together watching the night scenery on both banks of the Great River? And you’ve become our leader!”
“At that time, I received Heavenly King’s order to lead a team of wolf soldiers with lower cultivation, none of whom could be famous figures, disguised as Buddha Bandits, to raid Li Zhou, seize the Otherworld Coffin, and provoke a conflict between Jiu Li and Coffin Mountain.”
“I first went to meet Hidden Lord to discuss countermeasures. So, I separated from the army and arrived at Zangxian Town a day later than them… hehe, arriving a day late instead brought this extra fate.”
Li Weiyi smiled: “Thinking about it now, Li Ling and I were able to escape alive because you deliberately let us go.”
Shi Jiuzhai sighed: “Lurking in Earth Wolf King Army for fifteen years, many things are beyond my control. Showing the slightest flaw could lead to an end worse than death. Sometimes, compromises and sacrifices must be made.”
“At that time, on the surface it was Earth Wolf King Army disguised as Buddha Bandits who acted, with Dragon Ting targeting Cang Li. In reality, Sui Sect had two other top masters lurking in the shadows, preparing to kill Li Songlin and Cang Li together at Zangxian Town, escalating the conflict to the point of war.”
“You and Zhao Zhizhuo were able to flee to Yao Guan for help because Hidden Sect Elders secretly assisted, making it so smooth.”
“At that time, Hidden Sect could not yet show itself openly.”
Li Weiyi thought of the later encounter on the Sui River ship with Yang Qingxi and Yang Yun. At that time, Yang Yun had been completely unguarded, exposing the secret of where he and his sister were in Yao Guan.
It was clear that Sui Sect must have been involved.
Li Weiyi got to the main point: “What’s going on with Qi Xiao? A Dao Seed Realm Martial Cultivator, Mortal World Overlord, how did he disappear without a trace?”
Those who could cultivate to Dao Seed Realm were all existences with extremely high talent.
Yin Two claiming his talent was average was only average among Hidden Persons. A Dao Seed Realm Second Heaven at over forty years old, placed among all Martial Cultivators, was absolutely one in a hundred thousand, one in a million.
A Jia Zi of sixty Hidden Persons, over ninety percent had no affinity with Longevity.
At first, everyone thought Qi Xiao’s disappearance meant he had gone to the Underground Immortal Mansion.
It was Qi Family who first noticed something was wrong.
After multiple investigations, they discovered that before Qi Xiao disappeared, he had sent people to look for Yang Qingxi.
But by then Yang Qingxi and Sui Sect’s forces had all left Qiu Zhou Prefectural City, and the investigation stalled.
The world is vast, dangers lurk everywhere. In this world, countless people go missing every day; finding someone is very difficult, and bodies vanishing without trace is the norm.
During that time, Li Weiyi had to pretend to be gravely injured and crippled. By the time he learned of this, three months had passed. He naturally felt guilty, worrying that it was really because of Yang Qingxi’s matter that Qi Xiao had met with misfortune.
Shi Jiuzhai said: “Over the past three months, I’ve investigated both the Underground Immortal Mansion and Yang Qingxi directions!”
“First I checked the city gate entry and exit records. In the days Qi Xiao disappeared, there was no record of him leaving the city.”
“That leaves only two possibilities. First, he encountered a Top Expert and was silently subdued or killed, then the body destroyed.”
“Second, he used some method to evade the city gate soldiers.”
“So, the possibility of going to Underground Immortal Mansion can basically be ruled out.”
“Assuming the first situation, based on information from Hidden Sect and investigations by Qi Family and Zuo Qiu Gatehouse, at that time in Qiu Zhou Prefectural City, the Sui Sect experts with that strength, including Yao Qian, numbered only three.”
“Qi Family investigated this direction, but it’s hard to get results.”
“I focused on the second situation! Under what circumstances would Qi Xiao deliberately evade the city gate soldiers’ registration?”
Li Weiyi pondered: “Unless what he wanted to evade wasn’t the city gate soldiers.”
Shi Jiuzhai nodded: “He was tracking!”
“Tracking whom?” Li Weiyi said.
Shi Jiuzhai said: “Too high cultivation, he wouldn’t dare track. Too low, no point in tracking.”
“Yang Qingxi?” Li Weiyi said.
Shi Jiuzhai said: “Very possible! I followed this guess and kept investigating, and I really found some things.”
“First I checked Yang Qingxi’s city entry and exit records during that time, no results. So I changed approach, copied all the carriage exit records from the day Qi Xiao left Qi Family, spending a lot of time screening and eliminating.”
“Finally, Qingyun Vehicle Company with Sui Sect background became my key target. Qingyun Vehicle Company’s boss is from Sui Sect; this secret is known only to Jiu Li.”
“Sui Sect knows Jiu Li well, and Jiu Li knows them equally well.”
“Every coachman and every Exotic Beast Carriage or Carriage at Qingyun Vehicle Company is registered, including departure and return times. I quietly stole this booklet recording carriage movements and copied a copy. Then I found traces!”
“Wang Zhi joined Qingyun Vehicle Company two months before Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, with a letter of introduction from Yang Qingxi.”
“The day Qi Xiao disappeared, he disappeared too! City gate guards have records; that night he drove out of the city and never returned.”
“Where is Yang Qingxi?” Li Weiyi’s gaze turned terrifyingly cold.
At this point, it was almost certain this matter involved her.
Although Li Weiyi had planted a Six Desires Talisman on her, he was currently neither a Spirit Mind Master nor Dao Seed Realm, unable to sense her location through the Six Desires Talisman.
Moreover, half a year had passed!
Yang Qingxi hadn’t come looking for him proactively, meaning the threat of the Six Desires Talisman had been removed by other means.
Back then, the two had agreed so readily, clearly having prepared backdoors.
Yin Two said: “Checked, couldn’t find. Even those planted inside Sui Sect can’t find her traces; probably in Secluded Cultivation impacting Dao Seed Realm.”
Shi Jiuzhai said: “The Wang Zhi line hasn’t broken.”
“Oh?” Li Weiyi was surprised.
Shi Jiuzhai smiled faintly: “A chess piece Yang Qingxi set up in advance couldn’t just be for use during Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival. Wang Zhi’s disappearance was probably just to lay low, fearing that when Qi Xiao tracked them, he had already sent word back to Qi Family.”
“Half a year passed; he probably thinks it’s safe now. Because Qi Family didn’t investigate Qingyun Vehicle Company, and when I investigated, I was extremely careful, not alerting anyone.”
“Ten days ago, the person I planted in the company reported. Wang Zhi actually returned to Qingyun Vehicle Company and transformed into the adopted son of the company boss Wang Shouxin.”
Li Weiyi had calmed down, picked up the wine cup, and drank the sixth cup: “Someone who already left suddenly returns—what is he up to?”
“Hidden Person ready to make a move?” Shi Jiuzhai could sense Li Weiyi’s care for Qi Xiao and chill toward the enemy.
Li Weiyi said: “Capture him first, to avoid prolonged delays. Nine Bro, come with me?”
Shi Jiuzhai hesitated to speak but finally nodded.
“Two Bro, Extreme Day Light Dew—Hidden Sect should have some, right? Get me a hundred drops,” Li Weiyi stood up, not wanting to wait a moment.
“Pfft!”
Yin Two spat out his wine, exclaiming: “A hundred drops? Extreme Day Light Dew is a supreme treasure born in polar day lands, like liquid light; one drop can refine a hundred Radiant Flame Pills.”
“Even Jiu Li Divine Palace has to go to Thousand Mile Mountain to purchase Extreme Day Light Dew, three to four ten thousand Spring Coins per drop.”
“I can at most get you ten drops; old rules, you pay half, Hidden Sect pays half.”
Li Weiyi frowned; he hadn’t expected Extreme Day Light Dew to be so precious.
The shortcuts in this world were indeed all piled with money.
Fortunately, Yang Qingxi owed him five million Spring Coins; this debt had to be collected.
To quickly become a Spirit Mind Master, he could only spend big. Li Weiyi said: “Thirty drops, no less. I’ll quickly gather five hundred thousand Spring Coins for you. If not, go find Cang Li Tribe’s Family Head; say it’s the cost for his daughter’s cultivation.”
“Also, help me check Hidden Sect’s treasury for any Spirit Platform Blazing Star Stone Fragments. If none, then in my name, openly acquire some; price is negotiable.”
Yin Two’s eyes dimmed: “Hidden Person really can only take the Mind Master path?”
“Mind Masters cultivated to the level of Zuo Qiu Gatehouse’s Confucian Dao Old Ancestor can still summon wind and rain, dominating the Mortal World,” Li Weiyi said calmly.
…
Li Weiyi and Shi Jiuzhai drove a carriage toward Qingyun Vehicle Company.
Observing Li Weiyi’s eyes and demeanor, Shi Jiuzhai smiled: “Seeing your fighting spirit reignited makes me feel much better! Back then, if my cultivation were one heaven higher, I should have been able to take that sword for you.”
At that time, even facing possible Longevity Realm Giants, Shi Jiuzhai and Shi Liuyu had unhesitatingly acted to rescue. Regardless of character or failure to save, Li Weiyi accepted this intent in the face of ultimate danger!
So, Shi Jiuzhai now saying he wanted to take that sword for Li Weiyi.
Li Weiyi believed it!
“What realm is Nine Bro?” Li Weiyi suddenly asked.
Shi Jiuzhai said: “Dao Seed Realm Sixth Heaven.”
Li Weiyi was secretly shocked; no wonder Yin Eleven said that in their Jia Zi, Yin Nine was first in foundation. But in cultivation speed, Yin One and Yin Five were the fastest.
Dao Seed Realm Sixth Heaven at just over thirty—cultivation speed probably even faster than Zuo Qiu Cang Wu of the same age.
This was a Longevity Realm Giant seed!
Longevity Realm Giants under heaven were exceedingly rare.
Even top three major powers in Southern Territory like Coffin Mountain had only two Longevity Realm Giants. Perhaps hiding some low-profile ones, but hard to conceal; one or two was the max!
A great sect like Sui Sect, with Longevity Realm Giants and Saint Spirit Mind Masters combined, had only three. The Number One Experts of the seven great families in the sect were mostly at Dao Seed Realm level.
Only at the level of Ten Million Gateways’ great momentum like Hidden Sect, with complete talent selection systems, resource reserves, and thousands of years of foundation, could they secretly cultivate large numbers of top experts.
Even so, for Jiu Li as a Ten-Million-Year Ancient Clan, the tribe leaders of Nine Great Tribes, and the nine priests of Jiu Li Divine Palace, not all were Longevity Realm Giants and Saint Spirit Mind Masters.
Many were stuck at Dao Seed Realm and Spirit Mind Master levels.
With twenty Longevity Pills lost at Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, it would inevitably change the world’s pattern, allowing many old guys originally trapped at Dao Seed Realm to secretly reach Longevity Realm.
Shi Jiuzhai said: “Dao Seed Realm has a major metamorphosis every three heavens: Fourth Heaven condenses Dao Lotus, Seventh Heaven condenses Dao Fruit. If I condense Dao Fruit, my strength will undergo earth-shaking changes… but this step is very difficult; possibly another ten or twenty years of cultivation won’t achieve it.”
“I really envy your generation, able to compete for Dragon Seed…”
At this point, Shi Jiuzhai stopped, realizing he had poked Li Weiyi’s sore spot, and laughed it off: “I’m really curious—did you and Yang Qingxi actually sleep together?”
“What’s up?” Li Weiyi asked with a smile.
Shi Jiuzhai said: “This woman Yang Qingxi can stir any man’s desire to conquer. If you’ve touched her, I’ll naturally drop my conquest thoughts; if we meet in the future, either kill her outright or let her live.”
Li Weiyi hesitated, pondering how to answer.
“Haha, got it!” Shi Jiuzhai laughed.
