When Chanjia saw Menglan Jun, she rose and gave him a perfunctory salute, then widened her almond eyes and said:
"Immortal Elder Lan Jun, your lips are sealed tight. You stayed in the Inquiry Pavilion for so long before, and when you saw me receive the news, why didn't you tell me?"
Menglan Jun casually sat down beside her and grabbed a vermilion fruit before saying:
"Little Book is with you every day. He's with the Immortal King Shangchuan, so if he didn't stop that false news from spreading, then the Immortal Emperor must have tacitly approved it. Most likely, he wanted to preserve the Central Immortal Realm's dignity. Otherwise, the other Four Regions would have spread the news as well.
"Zhuang Yushu is already gone anyway, and everyone who knew he was a traitor has been silenced. Letting such news spread can also make the Evil Immortals suspicious of those who have defected to them.
"The result now is that Zhuang Yushu died, while the Evil God failed to reclaim his sealed body. That is the best proof.
"That's why I say you human cultivators have minds full of holes, like sieves. Though I know the truth, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to speak carelessly."
Yunxi smiled and nodded.
"Lan Jun is right. That is indeed the case. Since you asked, I'll tell you the truth. Some news circulates only among high-level cultivators. It's enough for you to understand it in your heart."
Chanjia gladly accepted their explanation. As a peddler of information, she understood the maneuvering involved even better. Truth mixed with falsehood, falsehood mixed with truth—all of it was meant to confuse the enemy.
Yunxi then turned the topic to traveling together.
"Lan Jun and I are both prepared. We can set out tomorrow. Are you