Chapter 295

Yuan Yao finished speaking and blew a whistle.

Shh.

Li Er Geng, who had been pacing back and forth, instantly resembled a startled bird at the sound of that clear noise, turning toward it, yet saw no one there.

Just as he thought he had misheard, another whistle came from that spot.

Li Er Geng's heart stirred; he pretended to be casual as he headed that way, and when he reached the corner of the wall, he glanced sideways and saw the figures of Yuan Yao and her three companions.

You……

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Xuechen reached out and grabbed him, dragging him into the alley.

Yuan Yao lowered her voice and asked, "Do you know how they are doing now?"

Li Er Geng's face fell like a bitter melon as he said, "Sirs, how would I know? I only do odd jobs guiding and selling cultivators; I haven't even risen to a managerial position in the Xue Nu Chang."

Before they could question him, Li Er Geng began to profess his loyalty: "I sincerely hope you gentlemen can successfully rescue the grandson of the Water Mirror Immortal Academy's headmaster! Then everyone will be happy."

The four of them looked at him, none speaking.

Li Er Geng grew increasingly uneasy; he had indeed gone to see a doctor hoping for an antidote, but the few famous physicians in the two provinces not only had no antidote, they couldn't even determine what poison he had been given.

Li Er Geng probed cautiously: "Several seniors, you seem extraordinary; I don't know which faction you come from?"

Yuan Yao retorted: "Don't you know which faction the grandson of the Water Mirror Immortal Academy's head comes from?"

Li Er Geng froze.

He really didn't know.

Yuan Yao shifted the topic: "At the auction held by Xue Nu Chang tomorrow night, besides people from the Two Provinces region, are other factions also invited?"

Li Er Geng no longer cared about that; to save his own life, he truthfully said: "Many righteous cultivators from the Eighth Province will also come."

Zong Yu'er felt a slight shock: "They're coming to auction blood slaves?"

"Not so." Li Er Geng shook his head, speaking softly: "I heard they came for the half of the treasure map held by the Xue Nu Chang Field Master, and the location is precisely within the Eighth Province."

"Treasure map?" Yuan Yao wondered: "Why only half? Where is the other half?"

What Li Er Geng knew wasn't much either: "It's said to be related to the case of the Water Mirror Immortal Academy's extermination."

Hearing this, Yuan Yao and the three others exchanged glances, and a possibility involuntarily surfaced in their minds: Could it be that the Water Mirror Immortal Academy was exterminated because there was another half of the treasure map inside it?

Yuan Yao suddenly thought of something, her expression slightly tightening, and she asked aloud: "When did the Xue Nu Chang Field Master release the news about that half of the treasure map? Was it before or after the Water Mirror Immortal Academy's extermination?"

At this moment, Li Er Geng also realized something, his expression shifting slightly: "On the second day after the Water Mirror Immortal Academy's extermination."

Song Yan frowned tightly, asking: "Could it be that the person who moved against the Water Mirror Immortal Academy is the Xue Nu Chang Field Master?"

"The culprit is very likely him." Zong Yu'er analyzed: "Just think, the Xue Nu Chang Field Master not only controls silk threads, but also suddenly announced on the second day that he would auction that half of the treasure map. Isn't that suspicious?"

Lin Xuechen also felt that the culprit was very likely the Xue Nu Chang Field Master.

And Yuan Yao gave Li Er Geng a thoughtful glance.

Yuan Yao spoke: "Our current top priority is to rescue Senior Brother Ao; as for the truth behind the Water Mirror Immortal Academy's extermination, we'll set it aside for now."

"Li Er Geng, does entering Xue Nu Chang require an invitation?"

"Yes."

"Do you have any?"

"... No." Li Er Geng said with difficulty: "The invitation's price is extremely high; a single invitation is already hard to buy for a thousand gold, let alone so many invitations—I don't have that many spirit stones in my hand."

He forced a false smile, the implication obvious.

Just as Song Yan was about to take out spirit stones from his storage space—

Yuan Yao stopped Song Yan's motion without changing her expression, smiling narrowly at Li Er Geng: "Then there's nothing we can do; if they still haven't come out by tomorrow night, we'll have to forcefully storm Xue Nu Chang."

Li Er Geng met Yuan Yao's half-smile eyes, and suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

Just then, Song Yan responded with an "En."

"Rest assured, you're already one of us; when we storm Xue Nu Chang tomorrow night, we'll definitely bring you along." Yuan Yao continued to smile, though the comforting words sounded chilling.

Li Er Geng's face turned green.

Storming Xue Nu Chang—isn't that just seeking death?!

They might have a way to escape, but if he were exposed, he could no longer stay in the Two Provinces region, and would also be hunted.

Li Er Geng silently cursed this little brat for being so treacherous!

He forced out a smile that looked worse than crying: "I... I still have a few spirit stones here, willing to give you four invitations, seniors."

"Really?!" Yuan Yao exclaimed delightedly: "Thank you so much!"

After hearing that, Li Er Geng stiffly nodded.

Meanwhile, Zong Yu'er and Lin Xuechen, who had witnessed the whole process nearby, were somewhat dumbfounded, looking incredulously at their little junior sister, obviously not expecting her to bluff Li Er Geng with just a few words.

As expected of the little junior sister.

Clever and quick-witted.

Li Er Geng felt utterly unlucky; had he known, he wouldn't have come here to wait for them, and now he still has to fork over four invitations.

Tomorrow night's auction is the grandest of the year, so the invitation prices keep being driven up.

"I'll go find someone to exchange for four invitations." Li Er Geng said.

"Sure."

Hearing Yuan Yao's cheerful tone, Li Er Geng felt even more stifled.

After Li Er Geng left, Yuan Yao and the three others wandered around the vicinity of Xue Nu Chang, avoiding detection by its guards.

Elsewhere.

In the underground level of the black tower, many cultivators were imprisoned in those cages.

And in that blood pool, five people were still struggling against the bloody roots in the pool, trying to leave, but each time the roots dragged them back in.

Due to the existence of the sealing barrier, their spiritual power seemed to be sealed, unable to flow freely.

Therefore, they cannot use spiritual power.

And Yao Linglong's neck was already entwined by the blood-red roots; she was strangled to the point of difficulty breathing, she reached out wanting to pry open the blood-red roots, but that root didn't budge at all.

She was violently pulled down, her whole body submerged in the blood pool; just as she was about to drown, Ying Wuji and Xue Jin each reached out and pulled Yao Linglong up.

Xiao Lingwei quickly swam over, reached out and forcefully pried open the blood-red roots entwining Yao Linglong, freeing her.

"If only I had known to let Yao Yao come." Cang Li swiftly dodged the blood-red roots.

If Yuan Yao were here, she might have a way to break this seal formation, allowing them to regain their spiritual power.