Chapter 79: Revealing Secrets

Since that was the case, it was time to act swiftly.

After coming to understand the crux of the matter, Cao Chengyu burned the secret letter sent by the Crimson Dragon. A few days later, he visited the Daoist of Divine Fire once again.

Under the pretense of seeking instruction, he occasionally conversed with Xiao Yan as well. Gradually, the three grew familiar with one another.

The persona Cao Chengyu crafted for himself was that of an earnest, kindhearted man, upright and unwavering in his pursuit of the Dao.

So, upon “learning” that Xiao Yan too hailed from Great Yue, he warmly invited him for a meal, hoping to foster a closer bond.

Xiao Yan found it hard to decline, especially after hearing Cao Chengyu recount how he had suffered bullying from the scions of noble clans at the Celestial Observatory, and, faced with mortal peril, had been forced to betray the Celestial Observatory and join the Five Elements Sect.

This story resonated with Xiao Yan’s own experience. He, too, had betrayed the Celestial Observatory after being targeted by veteran Red Guards, surviving several brushes with death.

Learning that Cao Chengyu had been humiliated by a wastrel like Ning Que, Xiao Yan began to feel a kinship and agreed to dine together.

Thus, the two bade farewell to the Daoist of Divine Fire and soared toward a restaurant on the northern bank, discussing the customs and landscapes of Great Yue as they went.

As their conversation deepened, both men found themselves sighing with emotion—a sense that the world had changed, and they with it.

Upon reaching Dragon Banquet Hall, they ordered the establishment’s famed “Divine Dragon’s Tail Fragrant Ascension Feast,” commonly known as the Ascension Set.

The meal lived up to its reputation—delicious and refined, a high-grade spiritual cuisine, making it the most popular restaurant among the inner sect of the Five Elements Sect.

They ate and talked with carefree pleasure. This unfettered, undisturbed life was precisely the kind of untroubled freedom Cao Chengyu sought.

Yet, despite the convivial atmosphere, his intentions were far from innocent.

With deliberate subtlety, he steered the conversation toward the troubling issues emerging in Great Yue.

“Brother Xiao, something strange happened when I fled Great Yue. I discovered many abandoned villages, and their locations felt as though they had been arranged, with traces of formations having been set down.

“Unfortunately, I was being hunted and couldn’t linger to examine them closely.”

“Traces of formations?” Xiao Yan frowned, falling silent. Just a few months prior, while still at the Celestial Observatory, his Treasure-Seeking Eye had pointed him to a peculiar artifact: the Mysterious Yin Dragon Pattern Divine Record, which was said to reside in the imperial palace of Great Yue, on the very altar constructed for the empire’s Mandate of Heaven.

This time, however, the Treasure-Seeking Eye had not revealed any specific details about the artifact, nor how to obtain it.

Xiao Yan had assumed that his own lack of strength hindered the Eye’s performance. Now, he realized that might be only part of the reason. His inability to see the method of acquisition was likely due to his weakness. But on the other hand, the artifact’s details seemed to be concealed by some advanced technique; no matter how he looked—by naked eye, vision arts, or secret methods—he could not discern anything strange about the altar.

Due to these dual obstacles, all he had was the artifact’s name and precise location. Now, upon hearing Cao Chengyu’s words, his mind instinctively turned toward the imperial court.

The Celestial Observatory oversaw the realm, and the rogue cultivators in Great Yue were too weak to lay out such extensive and complex formations. If Cao Chengyu was telling the truth, then those formations must have been established by the court.

In a flash, countless thoughts raced through Xiao Yan’s mind.

Cao Chengyu continued, “From the capital northward, I found many such formations. Sometimes, there were even living villages set atop them—it was truly inexplicable.

“These formations radiated intense Yin energy, yet others exuded strong Yang energy. It was extremely strange.”

He shook his head as he spoke, sipped some warm wine, and resumed eating.

Xiao Yan smiled faintly, subconsciously connecting this to the Mysterious Yin Dragon Pattern Divine Record. The name alone suggested a link between Yin energy and dragon force. He began to believe some of what Cao Chengyu said, and could not help worrying about Xue’er, far away in the capital.

He wondered if he should return to verify Cao Chengyu’s story and ensure her safety.

“Come, Brother Xiao, drink!”

“All right.”

Midnight approached. Cao Chengyu, face flushed and drunk to the point of staggering, bid Xiao Yan farewell. Only after walking unsteadily some distance did he drop the act and return to normal.

He rode a yellow cloud toward his small pavilion.

The plan had gone off smoothly. He doubted Xiao Yan could resist investigating. Besides, with the woman he cared for still in the capital, he would surely want to see the truth with his own eyes.

Those reverse Yin-Yang formations scattered throughout Great Yue were guarded by hidden stewards whose lineage stretched back three centuries—ordinary probing would surely be detected.

Thus, the blame for eliminating Doctor Chen and his party would naturally land on Xiao Yan’s shoulders. Even if forced into it to survive, Xiao Yan would have no choice but to dig deeper.

In this way, the child of destiny would become his pathfinder, detonating all the hidden powder kegs, clearing the way for him to proceed safely.

With the first stage of his plan complete, Cao Chengyu felt a measure of ease.

He found his thoughts drifting to Luo Yuzhu. Protected by Master Miaodan, she was in no great danger, but he nonetheless missed her—not out of worry, but longing.

Cao Chengyu glanced at the ranking board.

On the Great Yue Capital branch list, Luo Yuzhu was now firmly among the “conquered” category, her progress bar lacking only the final third.

Amazingly, her affection had risen by two points, reaching ninety-two. It seemed that maintaining a certain distance truly did help deepen feelings.

He wondered if his sudden shift from puppy-like docility to a firmer stance would leave her unaccustomed.

He missed her!

Another night passed.

Cao Chengyu’s days returned to their former routine, though the addition of a cat to his household had significantly increased his expenses.

The Sky-Scent Spiritual Cat needed a vast amount of spiritual herbs to advance, even if Cao Chengyu refined them into potent pills to aid its growth—it would still cost a fortune.

The little creature had reached the peak of the first stage, and now required a potent medicine to break into the second. (Spirits of nature have their own unique growth stages, distinct from ordinary monsters or spirits; first and second stages here refer to levels of development.)

This would require a great many spirit stones—and as an inveterate pauper,

Cao Chengyu was reluctant to spend too much time on alchemy, lest it hinder his progress in other arts.

He thus began to seriously consider a zero-cost acquisition campaign.

Taking the cat out to scavenge was too slow; it would be much more efficient to find a gang of ill-intentioned folk and simply rob them.

After all, with “zero-cost shopping,” one could take as much as one pleased; in his previous life, this had been a specialty of that country across the ocean, avidly adopted by many. Cao Chengyu could not help but imitate it a little.

With his mind made up, he stroked the Sky-Scent Cat’s little head and headed for Qiming Tower to inquire about recent events in the Martial Kingdom.

As it happened, he stumbled upon someone with a particularly loose tongue.

“Let me tell you…”

“So?”

Cao Chengyu raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding but sensing something significant.

“Junior brother, don’t you think this is a splendid opportunity to get rich?”

“Tch.”

A man in green robes nearby snorted dismissively and joined the conversation, pointing at the chatterbox.

“Don’t lead others astray with wild rumors. That place is extremely dangerous. Take my advice, junior brother—don’t go.”