Zhao Yunxiao carefully took mental notes as he listened to the life of the Untethered Sage, trying to find links between what he was hearing and the message that he had discovered before.

Duyuan Empire, Thousand Autumn City, Blueflag Mountain to the East.

Snow-capped peak, Verdant trees, Point where all things meet.

Just what could Jiang Taiming have intended to achieve by leaving such a message?

What could be at the stated location?

Could it be...?

“It would be nice to visit the place where the Untethered Sage spent most of his later life in recluse. Unfortunately, I can’t find where that is no matter how much I search,” Zhao Yunxiao said. “Would Brother Lin be aware of where that could be?”

“Haha! You really think like I do! Don’t worry, that is not a difficult question at all,” Lin Xiao pushed out his chest in confidence. “Back then, he lived in recluse in the Clear Water Valley, located in the southern regions of the Duyuan Empire. I have visited there as well, and it is truly a nice and serene place. No wonder he decided to stay and enjoy the quiet surroundings. You really should go take a look when you have the chance!”

“I see. Thank you for the information,” Zhao Yunxiao answered with a polite smile. “I am already looking forward to seeing it for myself!”

“Hahaha! Don’t worry about it!” Lin Xiao laughed. “That’s the least I could do!”

At the same time, Gu Qiansi raised an eyebrow as she looked at Zhao Yunxiao. Unlike Lin Xiao, Gu Qiansi could tell that even though Zhao Yunxiao’s smile was rather muted, his excitement level was rising rapidly!

And she was right as well.

Many would have expected Jiang Taiming to leave his inheritance at the place where the ancient cultivator had spent his life in recluse. After all, the place must have meant something special to him.

Staying there for long would also have given him enough time to make all the preparations for the passing down of his inheritance.

Considering that, Clear Water Valley checked all the boxes as a potential spot where his inheritance could be found.

But at the same time, Jiang Taiming should also have expected everyone to comb the entire Clear Water Valley after his demise. In that case, choosing to leave his inheritance there would be akin to openly putting it up for grabs.

Considering that, would he still choose to leave his inheritance there?

No, leaving his inheritance elsewhere would definitely make more sense!

Otherwise, why would such a free spirited person like Jiang Taiming go to the extent of leaving behind such a crypted message?

Of course, Zhao Yunxiao still had no proof that Jiang Taiming truly left his inheritance on Blueflag Mountain, but this definitely increased the odds of that!

Zhao Yunxiao decided.

It might be worth making a trip to this Blueflag Mountain, though it definitely had to be after he was done making sufficient preparations.

At the same time, Zhao Yunxiao could not help but feel envious of Jiang Taiming.

Freedom in life had always been Zhao Yunxiao’s goal, and Jiang Taiming was someone who had achieved just that.

In fact, Jiang Taiming had gone above and beyond, reaching a height that Zhao Yunxiao dared not even dream of!

Rather than going to that extent, all Zhao Yunxiao wanted was to have the freedom to roam the world in a safe manner, that was all.

Perhaps Lin Xiao’s plan had worked.

Zhao Yunxiao was truly converted into somewhat of a fan after hearing out Jiang Taiming’s life story!

As the group got into their conversations, dawn arrived before they knew it.

But at this moment, Zhao Yunxiao suddenly stood up with a frown.

“We have company,” Zhao Yunxiao cautioned.

“What is it?” Gu Qiansi asked.

“Is it another monster like the black death?” Lu Zhiying asked excitedly.

The black death had been rather delicious, so she was hoping that she would get to taste something just as good.

“Hmm? Is there something coming?” Lin Xiao was the only confused one. “Brother Zhao’s spiritual sense sure is amazing.”

He had spread out his spiritual sense the moment he heard Zhao Yunxiao’s warning, but did not manage to detect anything amiss.

Little did he know that the trio had set up plenty of traps and alerts beforehand, allowing them to grasp everything that happened in the vicinity.

“I’ll explain later. They are closing in on us from all directions, and fast! Let’s quickly hide!” Zhao Yunxiao urged.

Without waiting for a response, Zhao Yunxiao quickly extinguished the fire by scattering the burning wood with a burst of his essence energy.

Seeing the urgent look on his face, the rest of them did not dally either. They silently followed Zhao Yunxiao as he led them towards a corner of the forest.

A concealing array activated, hiding them instantly by blending them into the shadows.

Lin Xiao could not help but widen his eyes in surprise, realising that this was probably how the trio had observed him from the shadows last night.

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Zhao Yunxiao was not joking about the newcomers closing in on them fast.

The quartet did not have to wait long before they saw around twenty figures pouring into the clearing where they had been seated just a few moments ago.

And the moment they saw them, the group immediately realised who these newcomers were.

Members of the Vermilion Bird Sect!

They were neither dressed in their ceremonial robes nor openly showing their sect’s emblem in any manner.

However, Zhao Yunxiao immediately recognised the pair whom they had encountered back at Full Moon Restaurant.

And it was not just them either.

Apart from the two, there was one other member of the group whom Zhao Yunxiao managed to recognise.

It was a beautiful young lady with long black hair. Just by standing there, she exuded an air of noble confidence, giving off the feeling of an empress being on a tour to inspect her lands.

Her aura was amazing and all, but it was the small scar on the back of her hand that truly drew Zhao Yunxiao’s attention.

Coupled with the fact that they were from the Vermilion Bird Sect, Zhao Yunxiao immediately identified who this young lady was.

Infernal Claw, Quan Hui – core disciple of the Vermilion Bird Sect!

That was when Zhao Yunxiao was struck with a sudden bolt of realisation.

Damn it, he slipped up!

He had gotten too excited upon realising that Lin Xiao had information on Jiang Taiming, only thinking about taking this opportunity to find out more about the ancient cultivator.

As a result, he had failed to link Lin Xiao’s identity to the members of the Vermilion Bird Sect that they had encountered back at Full Moon Restaurant.

Back then, the pair had mentioned that they came to the northern regions of the Duyuan Empire to chase after a potential deserter – a certain Senior Martial Brother Lin.

No matter how he looked at it now, there was no doubt that Lin Xiao was this exact person!

What a blunder!

How could he have failed to draw such a simple link?!

“These are fresh traces, someone has been here up until just a moment ago,” one of them reported after examining the clearing.

“We have surrounded the area before closing in, so there is no way for anyone to escape,” Quan Hui said. “Search the area! Anyone who was here should still be around!”

“Yes, Senior Martial Sister Quan!” the rest of them answered.

With that, they started to spread out and comb through the area, examining every last detail.

Zhao Yunxiao could not help but swallow a mouthful of saliva in nervousness.

Now that they had ended up in such a situation, they definitely could not reveal themselves or let the members of the Vermilion Bird Sect find them.

Otherwise, who knew what these people would do to them?

No matter how he looked at it, they looked extremely suspicious for hiding like this.

If these people thought the same and decided to bring all of them back to the Vermilion Bird Sect for questioning, they would be helpless to resist.

After all, a core disciple of the Vermilion Bird Sect was definitely not someone that they could handle!

But just as he was thinking about this, the unthinkable happened.

Before Zhao Yunxiao’s very eyes, Lin Xiao voluntarily stepped out of the concealing array, revealing himself to the members of the Vermilion Bird Sect.

“There’s no need to search, Senior Martial Sister Quan,” Lin Xiao said as he slowly walked towards Quan Hui. “I am right here.”

“Junior Martial Brother Lin...” Quan Hui narrowed her eyes as she closely observed Lin Xiao.

Quan Hui might be younger than Lin Xiao, but her seniority in the sect was not to be questioned. A core disciple had absolute authority over any other disciple in the sect!

Zhao Yunxiao: “...”

Gu Qiansi: “...”

Lu Zhiying: “...”

Why would he do that?

What should they do now?

Should they show themselves as well?

They might have only known Lin Xiao for a night, but they had still managed to build quite a bit of rapport with him during this short amount of time. This was especially the case since Lin Xiao had been so generous in sharing the black death, cooking for them, and even telling them all that he knew about the Untethered Sage.

Continuing to hide made them feel like cowards who were refusing to face up to their problems together with their comrade!

In any case, the other party was from the Vermilion Bird Sect.

Considering that their sects were allies, they were unlikely to do anything too extreme to them.

Nevertheless, Zhao Yunxiao chose to adopt a wait-and-see approach.

After all, this was the Vermilion Bird Sect’s internal matter.

If Lin Xiao could handle things here himself, then there was no reason for them to get involved.

Otherwise, they might end up complicating matters further!

“You have finally decided to show your face,” Quan Hui said.

“I have never tried to hide from the sect,” Lin Xiao answered. “I was merely spending some time to find myself.”

“For someone who is not trying to hide from the sect, you sure have come a long way – all the way to the northern regions!” Quan Hui scoffed before looking towards the spot where he had stepped out from earlier. “What an exquisite concealing array. This has never been your strong suit. Speak, who is helping you?”

“...Who can be helping me?” Lin Xiao answered. “I have been travelling alone since I left the sect.”

“Do you take me for a fool?” Quan Hui narrowed her eyes. “Break apart the concealing array!”

“Yes, Senior Martial Sister Quan!” the other members answered immediately.

Zhao Yunxiao sighed.

He was still considering whether to show himself, but the other party had ended up making the decision for them.

As the creator of the array, he naturally knew it the best.

It was one thing if the other party had not noticed the concealing array. But now that they were aware that there was a concealing array, it would not be too difficult for them to unravel it completely.

Since that was the case, they might as well save themselves the embarrassment of being found while hiding in a corner.

With that thought in mind, Zhao Yunxiao decisively stepped out of the concealing array, with Gu Qiansi and Lu Zhiying swiftly following behind.

The group of twenty Vermilion Bird Sect members stared intently at the three, scrutinising them from head to toe.

“Greetings,” Zhao Yunxiao awkwardly clasped his fists towards Quan Hui. “I am Zhao Yunxiao of the Black Tortoise Sect, and these are my fellow disciples.”

Upon his cue, Gu Qiansi and Lu Zhiying greeted the other party as well.

“Gu Qiansi.”

“Lu Zhiying.”

“I’m sorry for implicating you, Brother Zhao,” Lin Xiao apologised.

“Don’t worry about it,” Zhao Yunxiao answered. “Perhaps this is for the best as well. We might be able to provide some perspective as a third party in this matter.”

He might have said that, but Zhao Yunxiao was actually rather unhappy with Lin Xiao at the moment.

If he was going to feel sorry now, then why did he have to walk out of the concealing array without asking them in the first place?

Just what did he think was going to happen?

This was why one had to choose their friends carefully.

The saying was indeed right – having a bad teammate was much worse than having a strong opponent!