Chapter 435: Qinghu Has a Problem

"I just arrived at Green Forest Guard City, and heard people say the 'Guest Return Inn' has fair prices, honest to young and old. Who would have thought the price is so high, even worse than a black shop. Looks like I, this monk, can only stay outside for the night. Fortunately it's hot here, so the night shouldn't be too uncomfortable!"

The two cultivators scratched their heads together, clearly believing Monk Chengxin's words.

"Perhaps this newly arrived sect elder is staying in this inn!" Qinghu suddenly said.

Wei Yuning was startled; he vaguely felt that this Qinghu was a bit different, his voice strange, unlike the senior brother he had met that day.

He waited until he left the alley, and after another half hour finally saw Monk Chengxin striding proudly. Chengxin emerged from behind a tree, pretended not to notice him, and continued to wander.

The two, without prior arrangement, followed the crowd toward the teleportation point, and only after reaching the next teleportation point did they meet up.

"What did you discover?" Wei Yuning asked first.

"Your senior brother has a problem; he was contaminated by the White Hair Clan, yet he hasn't become a member of the White Hair Clan!" Monk Chengxin said.

"I also find it odd, but he seems different from Luoluo; Luoluo turned into the form of the White Hair Clan, yet senior brother Qinghu still retains his original appearance. I don't know why." Hearing Monk Chengxin say this, Wei Yuning finally confirmed his earlier suspicion.

Monk Chengxin furrowed his brows and said, "You know these two a bit; what do they have in common? Why did they become this special form?"

Wei Yuning's mind had been a jumble, but Monk Chengxin's words suddenly reminded him.

"Talent, definitely talent! Qinghu was recruited early as an inner disciple of the sect, his talent is top‑grade; Luoluo's talent is good but perhaps not on Qinghu's level. So after Qinghu was contaminated by the dead silence Qi, he also became a White Hair Clan member, but he was luckier than Luoluo, still retaining his physical form!" he said excitedly.

Monk Chengxin also nodded, "Your analysis makes sense; I suspect the same. Now there's a crucial issue: any starry‑sky teleportation array controlled by the cultivation world has a formation that monitors dark creatures. Clearly, your senior brother's constitution wouldn't be detected. Thus, if your senior brother has no problem it's fine, but if he harbors ulterior motives, Green Forest Guard City and even Eternal Immortal City could become… territory of the White Shadow Clan."

Wei Yuning's face changed dramatically, "That probably doesn't depend on whether he has ulterior motives; the contamination by the dead silence Qi isn't intentional, it happens unknowingly. He's been in Green Forest Guard City for so long; he must have polluted many people already."

Monk Chengxin's face also darkened as he sighed, "In the spirit beast world we once had this notion: the White Shadow Clan might become the greatest enemy of the living world. I originally thought these things would only spread in medium‑sized worlds; who could have imagined that a place like Green Forest Guard City couldn't stop them from coming in!"

Wei Yuning's expression flickered, unable to decide.

Up to now, the known varieties of White Hair Clan that have come from the Void World are several.

The first type is the original White Hair Clan; their bodies are covered with translucent white hair that can absorb stray void energy. Within this group, besides distinguishing combat power by individual size, there are special royal White Hair Clan like Feng Xi who can enter reality, whose strength is unfathomable.

The second type is the White Hair Clan of the spirit world contaminated by the dead silence Qi. Compared with the White Hair Clan from the outer realms, their only difference is the lack of white hair on their bodies, so when Wei Yuning and others were in the spirit beast world they called these White Hair Clan members the White Shadow Clan.

From the present perspective, this population also has several classifications.

First are the 'silly happy' White Shadow Clan who have lost their consciousness and are controlled by the White Hair Clan; second are White Shadow Clan who retain consciousness, mainly foundation‑established cultivators, such as Qinghe and others; third are the specially talented White Shadow Clan, of which Luoluo is one—she was transformed into a White Shadow Clan with a mortal body but, relying on powerful divine consciousness, kept her mind, eventually becoming a unique White Shadow Clan practitioner in the Cloud‑Hidden Sect, while Qinghe is even more special: he bears the aura of the White Shadow Clan yet retains a complete human form.

Besides these two, there is a third kind: hybrid offspring born of the White Hair Clan and native spirits. Xieying is the progenitor of this race, and the various gifted hybrids that later appear in the spirit beast world are its descendants.

For Wei Yuning, Xieying serves as nourishment within his personal spatial ring, so he naturally fears not these later White Shadow Clan.

But the early White Hair Clan puzzles him, especially the first‑generation human great one Feng Xi who transformed into a White Hair Clan, which fills him with awe. Fortunately that great one is detached from worldly affairs; even if he likely remains in the Qingshi City on Bi Yi Island, overall Wei Yuning is still unafraid.

Now, the White Shadow Clan in Green Forest Guard City gives him a headache. He's not afraid of their strength, but worries that eliminating Qinghu would trigger a chain reaction.

The people around Qinghu must be Cloud‑Hidden Sect contacts here; before removing Qinghu, they must gain his trust and cooperation. If an accident occurs, the Cloud‑Hidden Sect disciples stationed on Bi Yi Island would lose their link to the secret realm's elder.

Besides that, he also needs to determine how many people Qinghu has already contaminated or contacted.

But before doing all that, he has the most important task: spreading stargrass seeds. As they stroll, Wei Yuning discreetly tosses individual seeds onto the roadside grass.

With stargrass's prolific reproduction, Green Forest Guard City will soon become a world of stargrass.

After hearing Wei Yuning's analysis, Monk Chengxin wholeheartedly agreed, saying, "Let's do that; first we should find that Daoist Xulian!"

Wei Yuning turned to leave, but Chengxin smiled and stopped him: "Don't take the teleportation array; it's only a little over a hundred li. We'll walk there!"

"It's getting late; they might leave soon, right?" Wei Yuning asked, puzzled.

"Don't worry, I left a grain of Buddha dust on Daoist Xulian; he can't escape my tracking!" Monk Chengxin said proudly.

In a secluded spot, the two quickly changed their attire.

They wore the standard cultivator robes, but swapped them for coarse brown hemp garments, each with loose holes that let the wind flow, plus a sun‑shielding conical hat and a thin veil—completely altered in appearance.

This is the most common attire among native cultivators, even female cultivators; only the out‑of‑town cultivators in Green Forest Guard City earlier wore tightly sealed, colorful, ornate robes.

Monk Chengxin roamed far and wide, also a master of disguise; besides a wig, he applied a paste‑like substance between his cheekbones and eyebrows, instantly turning his face from dashing to sharply angular and heroic. Not only his looks, but his gait and bearing also changed.