The Journey of Immortal Cultivation

Chapter 972 - 533: Secret Discussion in the Hall

Miluo’s voice came from behind: "I’ll look for you later to reconnect."

She kept walking, responding lightly: "Alright."

She could hear the conversation between the host and guest even after walking quite a distance:

"Are you well acquainted with Elder Ning?" Three parts curiosity in the voice, this was Huang Fusong Yun.

"Indeed, we’ve known each other for years, we’re life and death companions." A clear voice with a slight smile, sounding quite cheerful. Needless to say, this was Miluo misleading those ignorant of the truth.

"Oh? Many years? But Elder Ning is not that old."

"Hehe..."

Luckily her footing was stable, otherwise she would have stumbled badly crossing this threshold. This damned fox spoke lies with such ease, without a shred of preparation. Less than three years called "many years of acquaintance"? And "life and death companions"? Yes, at first, this damned fox coveted the spirit tea seeds, even trailing her with intent to obliterate, so wasn’t it indeed "life and death companions"?

...

Time passed unknown, Hongyan Hall finally fell back into silence. All guests had been received, and all Hidden Guards withdrew unnoticed.

Huang Fusong Yun turned over his palm, lightly tapping the sandalwood chair’s armrest with his knuckles, making a rhythmic "thud", "thud" sound, his habit when deep in thought.

From the darkness behind him, a person slowly emerged.

This person’s face was pale and beardless, eyes triangular, stature somewhat short, initially appearing quite unremarkable. The first sentence spoken upon emerging was: "Miluo has taken the position of Lord of Fengtian Prefecture, indeed his demeanor has immediately changed greatly."

The second sentence was: "Is that woman Ning Xiaoxian? Both unexpected and reasonable." He had just stood openly in the inner hall listening to the sounds outside. Cultivators all knew many Hidden Guards were lurking here, yet paid no heed to the breath of such a mortal as him.

He purposely made his steps heavy; Huang Fusong Yun heard but did not turn, speaking lightly: "What do you think?"

"She is indeed a young woman. Cultivators’ appearance often freezes upon entering the Golden Core Stage, but cultivators of hundreds or thousands of years age, despite youthful looks, have distinctly different demeanors and auras. She strives to appear mature, yet still harbors innocence between her brows, apparently still quite young."

Huang Fusong Yun sighed: "Ever since Ming’er was rescued by her in Hidden Stream, upon returning he incessantly spoke of her, even changing much of his formerly lazy nature, suddenly becoming diligent and industrious, pleasantly surprising both me and Chaoyun Sect. Alas, I expected some enchanting woman capable of captivating his mind, who knew..."

"Young Master is still young after all; his perspective differs from us adult men. He, of noble status, has carried heavy responsibilities since childhood, with no siblings, often feeling lonesome. They say cranes do not flock with sparrows; among peers his age, he regards not a one." The pale-faced man smiled, "I speculate he merely found a delusion of an elder sister in Ning Xiaoxian, holding deep admiration."

"This woman’s origins are somewhat mysterious; upon entering the public eye, she was already a Hidden Stream Elder." Huang Fusong Yun snorted coldly, "That stubborn Demon Sect, my repeated attempts to exchange for their Spiritual Medicine with envoys were refused multiple times, yet now they’ve unexpectedly appointed a human to a vital position in the sect, truly a curious event, and now they’re even conducting business."

The pale-faced man nodded: "If Hidden Stream’s openness is due to her contribution, then this woman is quite remarkable. In business, it wouldn’t hurt to offer her more care, it would benefit us without any downside in the future."

Huang Fusong Yun frowned: "Her background is unclear, I remain uneasy. We’ve investigated for a long time, her experiences prior to Hidden Stream are blank, from where could such a person emerge? Just now Miluo claimed familiarity, I probed slightly, but he was very tight-lipped, not revealing any useful information. Yet at meeting Ning Xiaoxian, joy flashed in his eyes, so he truly must know her. Qing Yue, truly no way to trace her previous experiences?"

This pale-faced man, none other than the Great Master heavily relied upon by Huang Fusong Yun as his right hand, also the original master of the Divine Woman, Dian Qingyue.

"Some clues emerged, currently investigating. Recently she seemed to have traveled to the Northwest, clashed with Mingshui Sect, and gravely injured Deputy Sect Master Wenren Bo. Now with Hidden Stream backing her, Mingshui Sect dare not pursue her for bad luck. Mingshui Sect still shrouded the reasons for conflict in secrecy, but I heard Ning Xiaoxian’s portrait was long since sent back to the sect."

"That insipid Mingshui Sect involved in capturing and selling slaves?" Huang Fusong Yun mused, "Her actions truly align with my heart! Yet despite Mingshui Sect’s obsession with capturing slaves, they wouldn’t dare capture a cultivator, why pursue her portrait?"