Chapter 436: How Could It Be So Tragic?

Wei Yuning became even more thorough, directly taking on the appearance of Jade Dragon Mountain.

When the two leisurely passed Red Leaf Alley again, Qinghu was gone, leaving only Xu Lian standing there. Like Monk Cheng Xin, he sat cross‑legged in meditation, but his eyes scanned around, searching for suspicious people.

"Where did Qinghu go?" Wei Yuning asked.

Monk Cheng Xin shook his head: "How would I know? He's of the Dark Clan, most sensitive to Buddhist matters. I don't want to startle the snake by trampling the grass!"

"Then shall I just ask for directions?" Wei Yuning looked at Cheng Xin.

"Just asking for directions? I think we should get straight to the point! He's only a Golden Core cultivator, after all. If that doesn't work, we'll go in force!" Cheng Xin said indifferently.

Wei Yuning smiled knowingly; in fact, he had already planned this the first time he passed here, but to be safe he discussed it before returning.

"Greetings, fellow Daoist!" Wei Yuning halted as he passed Xu Lian, bowing politely.

Xu Lian's appearance was extremely ordinary, easily unnoticed in a crowd, and his body was slightly hunched, giving off an overly cautious demeanor.

He had long noticed the presence of Wei Yuning and the other, their completely local attire raised no suspicion; when someone suddenly greeted him, his spirit jolted.

Xu Lian possessed a wood‑type spiritual root, visualized a white lotus, and his Daoist method focused on anticipating the enemy; he was especially sensitive to aura.

He did not perceive Monk Cheng Xin's void state, but sensed Wei Yuning's powerful qi‑blood force, his expression instantly hardened, and he quickly returned the bow.

"Are you here to take a mission?" Wei Yuning asked straight, without beating around the bush.

His tone was unfriendly, startling Xu Lian.

In that instant, as Xu Lian straightened up, he recognized Wei Yuning's face and whispered in shock, "Are you... the Senior Shadowless Blade of Jade Dragon Mountain?"

"What? You actually know me?" Wei Yuning exclaimed.

"Senior Jade, who doesn't know you now! By the way, you went to the Bounty Office—didn't you notice there are at least five bounties on you?" Xu Lian's expression mixed terror with confusion.

"Oh, I sent a friend over! Hmph, I didn't expect that right after I emerged from seclusion, someone would already be after me—seems I'm living too impatiently!" Wei Yuning instantly recalled Jade Dragon Mountain's true temperament from his unanchored primordial memory: cold‑blooded, arrogant, disdainful of all.

"Yes, yes, senior, you're absolutely right. We mercenaries say the same—we wouldn't dare spend money we don't have!" Xu Lian nodded repeatedly.

Wei Yuning snorted coldly and continued, "Junior, I have no time for idle talk. Let me ask again: are you here to take a mission?"

Cold sweat broke out on Xu Lian's face; he had intended to stay silent, but under the other's aura he couldn't help speaking.

"I am indeed here for a mission; what task did senior issue?" he asked, forcing himself.

"Descendants of Nine Peaks!" Wei Yuning said outright.

"What? Senior, you... you're the one issuing the mission?" Xu Lian's expression turned as strange as possible; he couldn't fathom how a sect could be linked to the Shadowless Blade of Jade Dragon Mountain.

"That's right, but I'm also acting on someone's request, delivering a group of juniors to the Cloud Hidden Sect—roughly a few hundred. So, when can you accept them?" Wei Yuning asked.

"I..." Xu Lian nearly burst into tears, "Senior, may I ask one more thing? Who commissioned you? I need to know!"

"Xuan Miaozi!" Wei Yuning flicked his hand, and a pale gold "Water" character appeared in the air; shortly after, the character condensed into a sphere, turning into a large droplet of real water that fell to the ground and splashed.

"It's really Grand Ancestor Xuan Miaozi!" Xu Lian's face lit up with joy, then quickly turned into a sour expression.

"What's the matter? Any problem?" Wei Yuning said angrily, "I'm busy, I don't have that much free time. If you want it, you get it; if not, you don't. I've done what needs doing, and at worst I'll toss these people into the Starry Sky!"

"Wait, wait, wait, senior, I definitely want it, but I'm... too poor now, can't even fill my own stomach. Where would the money come from to support the newcomers to the sect?" Xu Lian clawed his hair, his expression agonized.

Wei Yuning found it amusing inside, but still retorted angrily, "That's not my concern. Besides, you're only a temporary recipient; you'll be sending them away soon enough, right?"

Xu Lian glanced warily at Wei Yuning and sighed, "The crux is the sect has no time to take these disciples; they'd need at least fifty years!"

"Hmph, then it's not my problem!" Wei Yuning turned and left, with Monk Cheng Xin following.

"Wait, senior, perhaps someone can help!" Xu Lian hurried after them.

An hour later, the three of them met Qinghu in a narrow, pitch‑black cave.

On the way, Xu Lian had already informed Qinghu of his identity, and what surprised Wei Yuning even more was that Qinghu's transformation into a member of the Dark Clan had also been disclosed.

Qinghu cannot stay in sunlight for long; this secluded cave served as his temporary dwelling.

Wei Yuning struck a grand pose; Xu Lian and Qinghu, knowing only that he was from Jade Dragon Mountain, dared not ask further.

As for Monk Cheng Xin, he put on an indifferent air. Anyone who could be a companion of Jade Dragon Mountain couldn't be ordinary, so Xu Lian and the others wisely refrained from probing his background.

Wei Yuning and the others never brought up the secret realm; Xu Lian and Qinghu likewise avoided the topic, merely describing their ways of making money.

Sure enough, Qinghu had become a member of the White Shadow Clan; having spent time in the spirit beast world, he naturally knew of the White Fur Clan. His peculiarity wasn't innate talent but that after being tainted by the dead‑silence aura, he transferred the bodily changes to his battle companion, resulting in his current form.

Aside from a slight aversion to sunlight, Qinghu resembled ordinary cultivators, but only superficially; he had fully become a White Shadow Clan member—unable to cultivate or cast spells, his body now robust like a flesh‑based Foundation Establishment cultivator, capable of active invisibility.

What relieved him was that outsiders couldn't tell he was of the White Fur Clan, so after wandering he arrived at Beast King City. He originally intended to return to his sect, but the Abyss Clan breached the city; amid the chaos he caught the teleportation array heading to the Realm's Core.

The rest was simple: he roamed, stopping here and there, using invisibility to earn a little profit, and eventually ended up at Green Forest Guard City.

"Don't worry, I can handle ordinary reconnaissance missions; making money is quick. If we live frugally, we should be able to support the incoming fellow disciples!" Qinghu, after hearing Xu Lian's request, agreed without hesitation.

At this moment, Wei Yuning's mood was complicated.

A Golden Core cultivator who starves and survives on grain‑breaking, and a light‑averse White Shadow Clan member, both now forced to sustain hundreds of low‑level cultivators in Green Forest Guard City—a truly tragic situation!