"But let's not talk about me or my disciple anymore, why don't you talk about the case that brought you here?" Said Hou Shu with a slight smile.

"Indeed, it is about time that we move onto the matter that brought me here." Yan Que Zi slightly.

"But I am curious, Daoist Hou, you are a well-known enjoyer of wine, aren't you going to bring out some special teas for this fellow Daoist to appreciate?" Said Yan Que Zi as he made a drinking motion with his hand.

"Fellow Daoist stole the words out of my mouth! You will definitely get to appreciate good quality wine!" Said Hou Shu with a glint in his eyes, getting the hint.

He then turned towards Bai Ling and said, "Ling'er get us some of the Vermilion Lake Spiritual wine from the Earth Vein Cellar, a case involving Daoist Que Zi certainly needs to be accompanied by the best quality wine!" Said Hou Shu as a talisman with characters for 'Fire' and 'Protect' in seal script appeared on his hand, which then floated in front of Bai Ling.

"Take this Talisman, it will protect you from the heat." Said Hou Shu.

Bai Ling's heart shook for she knew what her Master meant. But she nonetheless bowed and took the talisman from the air and put it in her storage ring.

"Yes, Master!" Said Bai Ling, her face filled with resolute determination, before leaving the pavilion to enter the cave deep inside the valley, the cave that leads to Earth Vein. The cave that sometimes echoes with roars...

"Now let us speak about what matter brought me here." Yan Que Zi said, to which Hou Shu gestured to continue.

Yan Que Zi also put on a solemn look and said hoarsely, "I came here because my daughter, the heir of the Yan Family went missing."

Hou Shu's pupils shrank the moment he heard this.

"Oh my, that is indeed a serious case." He spoke solemnly.

"But in truth, we know where she probably is. We just can't investigate or even go there." Said Yan Que Zi with his head lower, gazing at his recondensed cup of wine, resignation in his voice apparent.

"Oh? I don't think many things can stop the great Yan Family. Is it bloodline Restriction or Soul Restriction Array?" Enquired Hou Shu.

"Daoist Hou is indeed extraordinary! I just mentioned only a bit of the story and Fellow Daoist has already gotten this close to the answer," exclaimed Yan Que Zi and then divulged, "Indeed it is the Bloodline restriction, anyone of my Yan Family cannot enter the seventy-five thousand mu the area surrounding the place where Yan Hu Zi went missing."

"Daoist Que Zi is saying that Yan Hu Zi only went missing, meaning her Life Candle is still burning?" Enquired Hou Shu.

"Indeed, her Life Candle is still burning, She is the Heiress of the Yan Family after all!" Said Yan Que Zi with a proud laugh. A father is still a father, no matter his position.

"But I don't think Yan Family cannot just brute force their way into the area with your inheritance of the Celestial Flames?"

"Indeed, Celestial Flames originate from the Immortal Realm. There should be nothing in this world that should be able to hold up against it for long. Yet this Bloodline Restriction Array is abnormal," the bewildered expression on Yan Que Zi's face couldn't have been more apparent as he continued, "In its vicinity, Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth seemed to have changed properties, they seemed... So alive."

"They fought against all methods and even spread themselves thin to be not burned by Celestial Flames and become Celestial Qi and fueling it."

"Indeed, methods to isolate Spiritual Qi are deeply profound, countering them is hard, even for Celestial Flames. These 'Alive Spiritual Qi' are even more mysterious." Hou Shu quipped.

Yan Que Zi nodded as a wry smile curled up on his face, "Thus, as the Patriarch of the Yan family, I had to halt the use of Celestial Flames, no matter how much I wanted to charge through regardless of Celestial Flames extinguishing or not."

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"And why did the Heiress of the Yan family go to this mysterious area? I don't think that place was known as mysterious before Little Hu Zi went there."

"Indeed, this place in the Nanqing Immortal Province was never well known, it was just an ordinary area with barren plains stretching across it. But one day there came news that an Inheritance of a Fire Celestial Treasure from the Immortal Realm had appeared there." Revealed Yan Que Zi, a news worthy of causing quite a commotion if it were to be revealed to the world.

"Zi'er, being the only one other than me to be recognized by the Celestial Flame as the sole inheritor, had to go and check its authenticity," Said Yan Que Zi but then the wry smile on his face deepened as he continued, "On the hindsight, I should have gone there, but alas..."

"Daoist Que Zi must have been held up, no use crying over spoilt milk." Consoled Hou Shu.

"That's why I have come over to you." Yan Que Zi said as pointed towards Hou Shu with his cup of wine, a slight smile on his face.

Hou Shu lowered his shoulders and spoke in a soft voice, "Daoist Yan Que Zi, being one of the few Soul Transformation Cultivators, I have but no choice but to accept."

"Do not worry, even if you cannot find my daughter and bring her back, as long as you find valuable information, We from the Yan family won't be stingy when paying you." Said Yan Que Zi with a resolute face, truly encapsulating the majesty of a leader of a super force.

"Then I will impose on Daoist Que Zi and ask for something precious." Said Hou Shu with a smile as a glint flashed in his eyes.

"Just ask! What is there that we from the Yan family cannot get?" Scoffed Yan Que Zi.

Of course, Yan Que Zi's behavior was not without reason. Yan family is one of the most powerful forces of current times, part of the Seven Hegemons. Their deep mastery of flames naturally makes them good alchemists, leading to their rich and overbearing status in the cultivation world.

"I want the Incorporeal Nurture Gu that Granny Zhu Ting of Shen Kong Chamber of Commerce recently refined." Declared Hou Shu.

"You!" said Yan Que Zi as he stood up from shock.

"Anything from that old coot costs an arm and a leg, even for us Yan family!" Yan Que Zi Exclaimed.

"So fellow Daoist is saying that Little Hu Zi's value is lower than Incorporeal Nurture Gu?" Quipped Hou Shu, showing his ambition and courage. Not everyone can even dare to ask for rewards from someone of Yan Que Zi's status, not to mention asking for something this overbearingly.

But Hou Shu could. Not only he is one of the closest people to reaching the Soul Transformation stage, he is also the Head of Azure Stars, Crimson Moon agency, the best investigation agency there is.

These two factors combined could make even someone of Yan Que Zi's stature hesitant to act overbearingly.

"You... I understand." Yan Que Zi let out a sigh, "will be arranged."

"May fellow Daoist forgive me for using Little Hu Zi in such a manner." Hou Shu, too, stood up and bowed to Yan Que Zi.

"No, I understand, fellow Daoist is at Nascent Soul Great Completion, to enter the Soul Transformation stage, Incorporeal Nurture Gu will be extremely helpful." Said Yan Que Zi as he waved his sleeve, making an information jade appear in front of Hou Shu

"This has all the crucial information that I haven't mentioned as well as things Yan Family has discovered." Said Yan Que Zi and then gave a bow, "I shall take my leave, if I am gone for too long, those Zhan scoundrels will start to act up. May we meet again when fellow Daoist has found Zi'er."

Hou Shu bowed in response, "I will have certainly found Little Hu Zi the next time we meet, but for now, I bid fellow Daoist farewell."

With that said, Yan Que Zi walked out of the Pavilion and disappeared.

At this moment, Bai Ling appeared with wine.

But this time, she was in a disheveled state. Her robes were torn in certain places and singed in others. There were claw marks on her, suggesting she fought some ferocious beasts.

"Ah! Where is Senior Yan, Master?" She asked bewilderedly, probably because of exhaustion that led to her not grasping what happened.

"Daoist Que Zi had urgent matters to attend." Answered Hou Shu as he stood up from his chair and walked out of the Pavilion to take in the scenery.

The valley outside was not that beautiful, but it had a small stream running through it. Occasionally, one can see some animals ranging from deer to tigers coming out of the forest surrounding the valley to drink water from it.

Others may not find it interesting, but Hou Shu found this scenery to be deeply calming. One of the reasons he chose this place as his seclusion grounds instead of somewhere with dense Spiritual Qi. Well, as dense as it can be in the current era.

"Isn't it rude to not drink the wine when Senior Yan asked for it?" Asked Bai Ling as she followed her master out.

In response, Hou Shu gave a hearty laugh as he exclaimed, " Ha! It's never about the wine!"

He then reached out his hands back towards Bai Ling, without turning back, making Bai Ling's storage ring open on its own. From it, a bottle of wine floated out and towards Hou Shu's grasp.

The moment, the bottle of wine was in his grasp, he took a big swig from it and an ancient yet melancholy countenance appeared around him as he said wryly, " Everything begins and ends before the wine comes..."