Comrade, I've finally found you!

Puzhou City.

After achieving the Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul, Qi Yuan, whose strength was no longer what it used to be, flew all the way and soon arrived before a majestic city.

The city walls stretched for over a hundred miles and stood over thirty zhang high, looking like a giant beast crouching at the foot of Canglan Mountain.

Puzhou City was a major southwestern stronghold of the Great Xia Kingdom. With a population of a million, it was a place where immortals and mortals lived together, a mix of all sorts of people. Countless merchant caravans came and went, presenting a prosperous and luxurious scene of a golden age.

The Great Xia Imperial Court was one of the forces under the Boundless Holy Land. It had always been submissive and obedient to other Holy Lands, providing constant offerings over the years. Its focus on social graces and diplomacy allowed the nation to endure for a long time with deep foundations.

It was said that there was even a Dao Integration Realm Cultivator within the Great Xia Royal Family, making them a regional overlord.

It was now sunset, but the streets and alleys were still bustling with pedestrians and the noise of Spirit Beasts. As Qi Yuan strolled through the streets, he had a faint feeling of visiting a temple fair in his previous life.

He had originally planned to return directly to Falling Cloud Valley, but halfway there, he received news from Liang Huai that the mission had been completed. Thus, he detoured to Puzhou City, preparing to inspect the results of the two Holy Land Disciples' mission.

News came after only six or seven days; as expected of elite Disciples of the Holy Land, their efficiency was fast enough.

Qi Yuan thought silently while taking in the local customs and practices of Puzhou City.

Suddenly, his brow furrowed slightly, and he subconsciously looked in a certain direction.

He saw a thin figure in a black robe and hood approaching stealthily, leaning in close to whisper:

"A plate of pig's head meat."

What?

Qi Yuan froze for a moment, not quite reacting.

Seeing no reaction, the figure lowered their voice even more and added, "A plate of pig's head meat!"

This time Qi Yuan heard clearly and blurted out:

"Two taels of Laobaigan."

Hearing this, the figure's eyes lit up. He hurriedly lifted the cloth mask on his face, revealing a pair of shifty eyes, looking at Qi Yuan with a hint of excitement:

"The Heaven King covers the Earth Tiger."

Qi Yuan gave him a strange look. "The Pagoda suppresses the River Demon. Who are you?"

The person's tone became even more excited:

"Earthquakes on high ridges, a scene of streams and mountains for eternity..."

By now, Qi Yuan had realized something. Before the other could finish, he immediately waved his hand and asked with an odd expression:

"Cut the crap. Are you Li Mingwang or Zhang Caiqiang?"

The two names he mentioned were the two Holy Land Disciples who had taken the mission.

Seeing that Qi Yuan even got the name right, the Black-robed person immediately beamed with joy and hurriedly took off his hood, revealing a round head:

"Comrade, I've finally found you! I'm Li Mingwang, and I'm here specifically to turn in the mission to you."

Just as I thought!

Qi Yuan's lips twitched slightly, and he said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry:

"Who told you these secret signals? Also, what on earth did you two do that's so shameful? You're dignified Holy Land Disciples, so why are you acting like thieves?"

Li Mingwang chuckled at the words, a hint of pride in his expression. "These signals were taught to us by Deacon Liang of Yuhua Peak. He said the person coming to inspect the mission would definitely be able to answer them."

"As for this outfit... my brother and I figured that since the Sect higher-up who posted this mission used an alias, it meant that the elder certainly didn't want to reveal their identity."

"As Holy Land Disciples, we naturally have to be considerate of our elders. We tried to keep as low a profile as possible during the mission to avoid being recognized."

You really are a little Genius!

Qi Yuan was left speechless.

He had indeed established some secret codes for the patrol and guard work at Yuhua Peak, but he hadn't expected that fellow Liang Huai to apply them so creatively.

However, his choice of anonymity was mainly to avoid attracting the attention of certain people within the Holy Land. The mission itself wasn't anything shameful. You two could have just completed the mission openly; was there any need to be so stealthy?

Remembering his purpose this time, he could only suppress his irritation and ask instead, "Where is Zhang Caiqiang?"

"Senior Brother Zhang is still waiting in a hidden location." Li Mingwang said with a serious face. "The more important the mission, the more necessary it is to act separately. Otherwise, wouldn't we be giving the enemy a chance to catch us all in one go?"

At this moment, Qi Yuan's face was covered in dark lines.

The damn mission is already finished, so why the hell are you two still so nervous?

To avoid wasting time, Qi Yuan didn't bother with any more nonsense and said directly:

"Lead the way."

Then, led by Li Mingwang, he turned through four or five alleys and took seven or eight detours, finally stopping in a quiet little lane.

"Is he here?"

Qi Yuan's tone was somewhat anxious; he felt his patience was reaching its limit.

Li Mingwang gave a mysterious smile:

"Senior Brother Zhang is a master of concealment. We'll be there after scaling a few more walls."

Qi Yuan: "..."

After scaling a full dozen or so walls, Li Mingwang finally stopped in a deserted courtyard.

Then, he pointed to a dry well in the courtyard.

"It's right here."

Qi Yuan shook his head at the sight and followed him.

"Senior Brother Zhang, I've found the contact! Come out quickly."

Li Mingwang leaned over the well opening and poked his head in, calling out twice.

However, it was silent inside the well; aside from the hollow echo, there was no response.

Seeing this, the veins on Qi Yuan's forehead throbbed slightly; he really wanted to kick this idiot to death.

Li Mingwang sheepishly pulled his head back and muttered, "That's not right. Senior Brother Zhang was here last time. Could it be because I haven't contacted him for too long that he moved again?"

Just then, a large number of bubbles suddenly rose from a calm pond nearby, and then a plump black figure emerged from the water.

"Haha, didn't expect that, did you, Junior Brother Li? This time I hid in the water!"

The newcomer was tall and fat, wearing a bamboo hat and tightly wrapped in a set of black water-walking gear, with water droplets constantly dripping from it.

Li Mingwang gave a thumbs up:

"Senior Brother Zhang, after not seeing you for a day, your concealment techniques have improved again. I am impressed."

"Enough!"

Qi Yuan really couldn't take it anymore. He took a deep breath, trying hard to suppress the urge to hit someone. "Get to the point. How is your mission coming along?"

"The mission is already finished; we were just waiting for someone to come and inspect it."

As he spoke, Zhang Caiqiang smilingly produced a large vat from the storage ring on his hand and smashed it onto the ground with a thud, making the whole ground shake three times.

"What is this?"

Qi Yuan looked closely and saw that the vat was filled with grayish-white ash-like material, and he couldn't help but frown slightly.

"To be honest," Zhang Caiqiang rubbed his fleshy hands and explained enthusiastically, "didn't the mission say to investigate the missing Cultivators? It even specifically noted 'if alive, see the person; if dead, see the corpse'."

"But those victims had all their flesh and blood essence drained away. There were no people and no corpses, only some bone fragments left. Forget about identifying them, you couldn't even tell if they were male or female when they were alive."

"To leave evidence of completing the mission, we brothers could only bring back the ashes..."

Ashes?

Looking at the vat full of ashes before him, Qi Yuan couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Are these two guys playing with me?

In the dignified Taixuan Holy Land, how could two such 'crouching dragons and hidden phoenixes' appear at the same time? He now seriously doubted whether the two of them had gone through the back door during the entrance examination...