Chapter 566: This Drunkard

The stars faded, and the sky brightened. An endless prairie of wrapped heart grass floated with a misty haze, and dew drops sparkled in the dawn.

Wu Jinliang jumped onto a wrapped heart grass plant, sending dew drops splashing down like rain. Caught off guard below, Shi Chun shivered from the spray and looked up with a clearly exasperated expression.

Wu Jinliang glanced at the sky, then took out a communication talisman to contact Xiao Sheng. After confirming the news, he jumped down and announced, "It's been almost two hours, and Xiao Sheng, who's been guarding the path, still hasn't found anyone following us. It seems your cultivation method truly can conceal your tracks. If we had known this earlier, we wouldn't have gotten into all that trouble in the Divine Fire Domain, sigh."

Shi Chun, wiping the water from his body with his sleeve, replied, "It's also possible that the Demonic Eye is waiting outside the grand formation and didn't see us leave. We'll have to test it again when we get a chance."

"True, we need to be cautious," Wu Jinliang agreed. "But at least it proves we're not being followed for now; we're temporarily safe. What do we do now?"

"First, we deal with the Anti-Soul Tree," Shi Chun said. "The sooner we refine enough Death-Defying Incense, the sooner we can leave this cursed place. There's a whole bunch of fiends and monsters gathered here now, and something will go wrong if we're not careful. It's really annoying." He stamped his foot, indicating the spot beneath them.

Wu Jinliang understood and immediately used the Earth Escape Technique to take him deep underground.

***

On a large rock on a hillside, a woman in red robes, cloaked in black, was also gazing at the distant dawn.

A figure flashed from a distance. It was A Lan, who always carried a smile. She landed below the rock and reported, looking up, "Your Majesty, all the excavated pits on the mountain have been checked, over two hundred in total, and no anomalies were found. The surrounding area has also been searched thoroughly, but no trace of the target was found."

The woman in red, bathed in the morning light, curved her lips into a self-mocking smile. She had sent people to track them, but they were shaken off. They had chased the targets right under her nose, only for the trail to go cold again, and she had even come in person.

"I just came out for some fun; don't let anyone know about this," she suddenly instructed.

A Lan quickly bowed and replied, "Yes, I will tell them to keep quiet."

As her cloak swayed, the woman in red parted it and took out a communication talisman from her hand, sending a message: "I'm missing you a bit. Where are you?"

She hadn't used such petty tricks in a long time and disdained doing so, but today she suddenly couldn't resist.

***

In a spacious cavern deep underground, many Sandalwood Gold lights were embedded around the cave walls.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang were here, decisively trimming the branches of the Anti-Soul Tree and also scraping off the outer layer of the trunk, leaving only the black core inside. This task couldn't be outsourced; they truly had to do it themselves.

Shi Chun, whose knife flashes had been swift, suddenly stopped. He took out his communication talisman and burst into a wide grin as soon as he saw it.

Wu Jinliang accidentally caught a glimpse of Shi Chun's wide smile, revealing two rows of white teeth. For him to be so unrestrainedly happy in their current situation, Wu Jinliang couldn't help but stop his work and ask, "What's wrong?"

Shi Chun chuckled, "Nothing, just a hussy."

Hearing about a "hussy," especially one who could directly contact Shi Chun, Wu Jinliang immediately perked up. "Where? Where? Let me see."

*Thump*. He immediately dropped the wood in his hand, fearing he'd miss it. He practically darted to Shi Chun's side, craning his neck for an urgent look, and indeed managed to see the glowing text on the communication talisman before it faded.

After reading the content, Wu Jinliang grinned widely. "Heh heh, that's quite passionate! Just by reading that, one could practically take off their pants. Who is it?"

Shi Chun replied, "The woman I mentioned before, the one connected to the library."

Wu Jinliang blinked his big eyes. "Is that woman a hussy?"

Shi Chun gestured. "She wears bright red, as if afraid of not being conspicuous. She even had a large red flower pinned here, and was drinking behind the counter where Dong Liangying sits, in broad daylight. Her wild and unrestrained demeanor was obvious."

Wu Jinliang exclaimed, "Oh, now that you mention it, she does sound quite flirtatious! With Dong Wenshu's personality, how could he tolerate someone like that in his library?"

"They're related; he probably couldn't refuse her," Shi Chun said.

Wu Jinliang waved his hand. "That's not important. The main thing is, what does she look like?"

Shi Chun pondered, "She's quite good-looking, with a unique charm."

Wu Jinliang was curious. "So, you two have already hooked up?"

Shi Chun explained, "I'm trying to win her over. The influence of her maternal cousin's uncle is truly significant, so it's really necessary to build a good relationship with her. If I need her help privately in the future, the benefits would be immense. Otherwise, I wouldn't have helped her with the matters concerning Li Hongjiu and Situ Gu."

Wu Jinliang chuckled, "From what you're saying, it sounds like you're doing this out of necessity. How about... " He patted his chest with both hands. "Shi Chun, don't trouble yourself. Just keep up your refined act, maintain your dignified air. I can handle these 'dirty' jobs. With my physique, with my heroic appearance, my thick eyebrows and big eyes, which hussy wouldn't like me? I guarantee an easy conquest!"

Shi Chun scoffed, "Are you sure you, at your height, can wander around the Dazhi City Library? As long as you don't implicate me, I won't stop you."

"..." Wu Jinliang immediately fell silent, the light in his eyes slowly fading. He then sighed gloomily, "I never thought sometimes advantages could also become obstacles in life."

Shi Chun ignored him and first replied to the message on his communication talisman.

***

The woman in red, standing in the morning breeze, saw that the other party was slow to reply, and the cold smile on her lips grew more intense. The communication talisman in her hand began to twirl idly.

Suddenly, she noticed a message had arrived. She flipped it open and saw a line of text on the talisman that read: "I miss you too. For you, I'm on my way to find Situ Gu and Li Hongjiu."

The woman in red raised her hand, intending to reply something more, but after repeated hesitation, she put away the communication talisman. Her gaze fell upon the person standing below. "At Mount Shen, find a suitable scout to keep watch."

A Lan bowed and accepted the order, "Yes."

When she looked up again, the woman in red had vanished along with a crack in space.

***

On Mount Shen, Goddess Feng Qingping and her group stood before the disturbed and then restored earth pits, all looking suspicious and perplexed.

The movements of that Grand Aunt and her people on Mount Shen were rather blatant. How could such significant actions go unnoticed by the residents of Mount Shen? Yet, they truly couldn't understand the meaning behind it. They had also dug through the soil to investigate but found no clues or purpose...

That afternoon, at the Mount Shen Bai Clan's detention area, Yin Fei, the mountain patrol, once again seized the opportunity to appear before Granny Qi.

Their meeting time was brief and limited, so Yin Fei wasted no time and quickly reported: "Miss Ru sent a message saying she was rescued by Gao He and his group."

Granny Qi was surprised. "Wasn't it said that people from the Demon Empress's side intervened?"

"I'm not sure, but Miss Ru said so," Yin Fei replied. "Miss Ru asked me to tell you that Gao He has prepared another batch of materials and placed them in the 'old spot,' asking you to complete your work as soon as possible."

He didn't know what these "materials" were, nor where the "old spot" was.

But Granny Qi understood. Hearing this, she was quite surprised and muttered to herself, "There are materials, still." Then, she decisively instructed Yin Fei, who was outside the cage: "Send another message to the restaurant, tell them to get the ingredients from the old spot and prepare the dishes as quickly as possible."

"Understood," Yin Fei replied. Then he quickly mentioned other matters, specifically the commotion caused by the Grand Aunt under the Demon Empress, who brought people to Mount Shen...

***

Several days later, at the back mountain bamboo forest of Yanbao Sect, outside a small stone house on a path where leaves swirled and danced in the breeze, Guang Haoyou led a burly man in gray robes to the picket fence. The big man had a basket strapped to his back.

"Uncle-Master, Uncle-Master, Uncle-Master..." Guang Haoyou repeatedly shouted from outside the closed gate, seeing that the inner door was ajar.

There was no response for a long time. Just as he was about to open the gate and enter to investigate, a lazy voice came from behind him: "What's all the shouting about? Has the sky fallen?"

The two at the gate turned around and saw Li Hongjiu emerging from the depths of the bamboo forest below the slope. He was carrying a hoe on his shoulder, with a bamboo basket hanging from it, looking leisurely. Fallen bamboo leaves were stuck in his hair.

Guang Haoyou quickly went to greet him, proactively offering to help carry his things.

Li Hongjiu casually tossed everything to him. "Just the right exercise for you. Wash, clean, and cook them properly. If they don't taste good, I'll come looking for you."

It was as if he was saying, "Who asked you to show up at my doorstep?"

Guang Haoyou looked, and sure enough, the basket contained freshly dug bamboo shoots and a deceased wild chicken.

Normally, this would be nothing unusual, but after seeing it, he still couldn't help but sigh. He truly didn't know what to say about this Uncle-Master. He clearly possessed such high cultivation talent and had more than enough cultivation resources—opportunities many people yearned for but couldn't get. Yet, this person didn't cultivate diligently, spending his days idly wandering in nature. It was no wonder the Sect Master got angry every time he saw him.

Nevertheless, the trip to the Divine Fire Domain ultimately benefited him; the three divine fires he absorbed were not wasted. It was said that this Uncle-Master's cultivation had rapidly advanced to the Human Immortal Great Accomplishment realm.

He had personally witnessed the power this Uncle-Master displayed when he reached the High Martial Great Accomplishment realm. He wondered what kind of prowess he would exhibit now that his cultivation had reached the Human Immortal Great Accomplishment realm.

As Li Hongjiu walked towards the courtyard gate, he saw a stranger and exclaimed, "This person looks very unfamiliar."

Guang Haoyou, who was accompanying him, said, "He's not a disciple of our sect. He's here to deliver a letter to you. He said an old acquaintance of yours entrusted him with it and insisted it be delivered directly into your hands."

"A letter? An old acquaintance sending me a letter?" Li Hongjiu turned to look at Guang Haoyou, puzzled. "Do I still have old acquaintances who engage in such elegant pastimes?"

He usually had little contact with outsiders and wasn't keen on making friends with common people; their views differed, and he preferred not to associate with them.

He even rarely interacted with sect disciples, mostly living as a recluse here.

Guang Haoyou was speechless. *Your old acquaintance, and you're asking me?* He replied, "Uncle-Master, won't you know once you read the letter?"

Li Hongjiu immediately extended his hand towards the man and said, "Where's the letter?"

The man immediately took out an envelope from within his clothes and handed it over. Then he unstrapped the basket from his back and set it down, chuckling simply, "Your old acquaintance said you enjoy good wine, and specially asked me to bring you two jars of excellent vintage. He also told me to let you know he has plenty more, and to just ask if you need any; there's enough to go around."

Hearing about fine wine, Li Hongjiu's eyes lit up. He didn't rush to open the letter; instead, he bent down to open the basket first.

*This drunkard,* Guang Haoyou couldn't help but roll his eyes inwardly.