Chapter 14: Cooperation

Chen Ye frowned between his brows, his mind already made up to refuse.

Mo Ci had warned him long ago that anyone capable of sword flight must at least be a cultivator in the Tongxuan realm.

Su Chunyi was at least in the Tongxuan realm, three realms higher than Chen Ye, a mere Qiling small cultivator. Su Chunyi was a disciple of Qinghe Sword Sect, the number one sect in the world; if even she could not handle the trouble, would it not be seeking death for him to rashly get involved?

However, Chen Ye still spoke out of turn to ask, "Miss Su, is that madman impersonating Qinghe Sword Sect truly so difficult to deal with?"

Su Chunyi shook her head gently, a trace of desolation showing in her expression, and said softly, "To be honest, I have been here for some time, yet I still cannot find any trace of that imposter. Those children who were forcibly conscripted are now locked up in the Green Lotus Daoist Temple outside the city; fortunately, many women are caring for them, so there is no immediate danger to their lives."

"I have investigated secretly for many days and only feel that this matter is becoming increasingly baffling. The County Magistrate of Cui Xian's act of forcibly conscripting boys and girls this time does not seem to be instigated by demonic cultivators, but rather appears to have received instructions from someone within the imperial court."

Chen Ye could not help but be shocked and blurted out, "The mortal imperial court? What do they want with these children?"

Su Chunyi also shook her head helplessly, "This is precisely the part that leaves me utterly puzzled, with absolutely no way to proceed. Before I left, the elders of my sect repeatedly warned me that this journey is fraught with danger, that I would encounter an archenemy from my past life, and that I must not act rashly nor startle the snake. Therefore, I urgently need Mr.'s help. In my opinion, only you can uncover the truth and expose the real culprit."

Su Chunyi had half a sentence of inner thoughts she did not speak aloud.

This descent from the mountain was her first trial. The elders of Qinghe Sword Sect had specially cast a divination for her, using authentic immortal arts; the hexagram indicated not only that she would encounter a powerful enemy, but also calculated that she would meet a noble benefactor who could help her turn danger into safety.

At this moment, Su Chunyi felt that she had already found this noble benefactor.

This young Daoist Priest before her, though his cultivation was merely in the Qiling realm, had a manner of speech and insight that made Su Chunyi feel admiration.

Cui Xian was too prosperous, with various forces deeply entangled; Su Chunyi had investigated for several days and still saw things as if through a mist, unable to distinguish falsehood from reality.

Qinghe Sword Sect's rules were strict, forbidding the indiscriminate killing of innocents and the bullying of the weak. Su Chunyi naturally could not simply behead the County Magistrate of Cui Xian and then seize his soul to search for the real culprit; she must find concrete ironclad evidence before taking action.

Although following the rules has its benefits, dealing with matters where good and evil are hard to distinguish requires more thought and time; over the years, very few can persist in the righteous path.

Su Chunyi had investigated for several days with no progress; meeting Chen Ye could truly be said to be the protection of the Ancestors.

With his ability to see through human hearts, finding the mastermind behind the scenes should be a piece of cake. Once the real culprit appears, Su Chunyi can draw her sword and slay him.

Chen Ye really wanted to refuse Su Chunyi's invitation.

After all, the materials for the Qi Condensation Pill were already in hand; finding a feng shui treasure land to light the furnace and refine pills was the immediate priority. For him, nothing was more urgent than improving his cultivation.

Yet Chen Ye had to weigh the matter carefully.

This might be an excellent opportunity to establish a good relationship with a righteous sect.

Leaving aside the demonic cultivator identity he bore, even if he were just a clean and white unaffiliated cultivator, how many chances in a lifetime could one have to connect with a disciple from a high and great sect?

The Qiling realm was merely just crossing the threshold of cultivation; condensing the dantian sea of qi was only taking another half step forward.

What about afterwards?

The path of cultivation is long; which step does not require a massive pile of heavenly treasures and earthly resources?

Su Chunyi, merely seeking answers to a few questions, could casually produce the materials for the Qi Condensation Pill; if it were him, Chen Ye, he did not know how many days it would take to gather them, and even then, he might not find such high quality.

If he refused Su Chunyi at this moment, it would be equivalent to shutting the door on Qinghe Sword Sect, that towering tree.

This was the number one Qinghe Sword Sect in the world! It was a gold content verified by two Demon Lords using their own lives.

If he could establish a relationship with such a famous great sect, setting aside Su Chunyi giving cultivation resources for free, even just getting a discount when purchasing items in the future would be a sure profit with no loss.

Besides, perhaps Qinghe Sword Sect had a method to save his master?

After thinking it over, Chen Ye finally decided to take a risk, simply because the reward could very well be beyond imagination.

"I am willing to lend my aid, but I have one request that may be inconvenient."

Upon hearing this, Su Chunyi immediately showed a smile, as if spring flowers bloomed in an instant; that bright and beautiful appearance made Chen Ye lose his train of thought for a moment.

"I do not know what the request is, Mr., please speak freely; I will surely do my utmost to make it happen."

It took Chen Ye quite a while to come to his senses from that innocent smile, and he said somewhat awkwardly, "I wish to refine the Qi Condensation Pill first. After I have formed my dantian sea of qi, I will then proceed to investigate this matter of forcibly conscripting boys and girls. I wonder if Miss Su can wait a few days?"

As the saying goes, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush; setting aside future benefits for now, Chen Ye ultimately still regarded cultivation as the priority.

Su Chunyi pondered briefly, then nodded in agreement, "Cultivation is the foundation. I have a quiet room that happens to be available for Mr.'s use. These few days, Mr. should just cultivate in peace; I also need to go investigate some more news. Once Mr. emerges from seclusion, we will thoroughly investigate this matter together."

Chen Ye hurriedly clasped his hands in thanks, thinking to himself that this Miss Su was truly too easy to talk to.

He could not help but feel puzzled again; were people of the righteous path all this easy to negotiate with? Then why was his own master, Mo Ci, being hunted down for hundreds of years? Exactly how many heaven-resenting and man-hating evil deeds had he done?

Sigh, he had accidentally insulted his master and destroyed his ancestors again; this was not good, it might cause people to discover he was a little demon.

Su Chunyi faced Chen Ye and said softly, "Mr., please follow me; my quiet room for daily meditation and cultivation is outside the city."

"Outside the city?" Chen Ye was slightly stunned, then replied after a moment's thought, "If the journey is long, it might be better for me to still find a place to cultivate within the city. My residence, though a bit dilapidated and dirty, is at least quiet."

That residence was originally Wang Wang Sanqi's house; however, this hooligan usually stayed at his elder brother and sister-in-law's home, so this broken house had long become a garbage nest, though it could be inhabited with a little tidying up.

Su Chunyi shook her head slightly and explained patiently, "Although refining the Qi Condensation Pill is not difficult, one must still find a place free from disturbance. I will carry you out of the city with sword light; it will take only an instant. You need not worry that this act is too showy; I can use illusion arts to conceal it, and others will be completely unable to perceive it."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye immediately understood, thinking to himself: No wonder I had not noticed this Miss Su's whereabouts before; Qinghe Sword Sect is also skilled in illusion arts.

Cultivators in the Qiling realm are extremely sensitive to changes in qi; Su Chunyi's illusion arts could even deceive a cultivator's perception. Looking at it this way, her cultivation might be even higher than Mo Ci's.

Chen Ye could not help but feel a wave of emotion in his heart, truly envying these cultivators from high and great sects; they presumably did not have to rush about everywhere like him, laboring for mere cultivation resources.

After a sigh, Chen Ye raised his eyes to look at Su Chunyi, a hint of cunning showing in his expression, and said, "Miss Su, if you intend to use sword light to fly me out of the city, I do have a request; I hope you will remove the illusion arts."

Su Chunyi looked puzzled and gently advised, "Acting this way might frighten others."

Chen Ye's lips curled up, revealing a meaningful smile, and he laughed, "Exactly, that is the effect we want."