Hidden Five

The dark red wooden door to the cabin was pushed open.

Inside the cabin, array Formation Script appeared, causing the surrounding air to freeze.

Hidden Five's robust and upright figure appeared outside the door. He looked to be in his early thirties, with slightly curly long hair and rough but textured skin. Just standing there, he exuded a majestic and awe-inspiring aura.

"Ninth Brother, we've finally met as members of the Hidden Gate. I've been waiting for this day for a long time." Li Weiyi looked at Shi Jiuzhai who had just entered.

Shi Jiuzhai was the first truly human being Li Weiyi encountered after coming into this world. At that time, seeing him exhale as clouds and take a step of several tens of feet, it was as if he had seen a god.

Now, seeing each other again in this way, Li Weiyi felt a surge of pride, a sense of pride that proclaimed, "We are no ordinary people."

I once regarded him as a god, and today I am a god too.

Li Weiyi had long suspected that Shi Jiuzhai was a member of Hidden Gate.

Firstly, a year ago, Li Weiyi and Li Qing had just infiltrated the Jiu Li Hidden Gate when the Jiu Li Hidden Gate received news. This was later told to Li Weiyi by Hidden Twenty-Four.

Secondly, after being captured by Shi Jiuzhai and Shi Shishi, Li Weiyi inexplicably escaped from the boat.

What truly convinced Li Weiyi that Shi Jiuzhai was definitely problematic was the meeting between the Hidden Lord and the Great Lord of the Earth Wolf King Army in the Immortal Realm space of Immortal Burial Town.

During his conversation with Li Weiyi, Hidden Lord revealed that he had once considered using the Immortal Law Star to lure the enemy to the Ancestral Mountain of the Cangli Tribe and wipe them out in one fell swoop, sacrificing the Cangli Tribe in exchange for the peace of the Jiu Li Tribe.

If Hidden Lord wants to accomplish this, then Shi Jiuzhai must be one of his men.

Later, the Hidden Person Register was obtained, which confirmed this.

"I've met the Hidden Person!"

Shi Jiuzhai clasped his hands in a respectful greeting, sat down beside Yin Er, and sighed with emotion, "Fate is truly wondrous! More than a year ago, when we met on the mountain in Immortal Burial Town, you and your companion were as wretched as two wolf cubs. Who would have thought that in such a short time, we would be sitting here together tonight, watching the night view of both banks of the river? And you've even become our leader!"

"At that time, I received orders from the Heavenly King to lead a team of wolf soldiers with lower cultivation levels, who could not have any famous figures, disguised as the Buddha's Crossing Bandits, to raid Lizhou, seize the Otherworldly Coffin, and provoke conflict between the Jiu Li Tribe and Coffin Mountain."

"I met with the Hidden Lord first to discuss countermeasures. So, I separated from the army and arrived at Immortal Burial Town a day later than them... Hehe, being a day late has actually given me an extra bit of luck."

Li Weiyi laughed and said, "Now that I think about it carefully, the reason why Li Ling and I were able to escape was because you deliberately let us go."

Shi Jiuzhai sighed, "Having infiltrated the Earth Wolf King Army for fifteen years, I've had little control over my own destiny. If I were to slip up even slightly, the consequences could be worse than death. Sometimes, compromises and sacrifices are necessary."

"At the time, it was ostensibly the Earth Wolf King Army, disguised as the Buddha's Crossing Bandits's bandits, that made the move, with the Long Ting weighing in on Cangli. In reality, the Sui Sect had two other top experts lying in wait, preparing to kill Li Songlin and Cangli together in Immortal Burial Town, escalating the conflict to the point of war."

"You and Zhao Zhizhuo were able to escape to Yao Pass for help only because of the secret assistance of the Hidden Gate elders."

"Back then, the Hidden Gate couldn't show their faces in public."

Li Weiyi recalled his later encounter with Yang Qingxi and Yang Yun on a boat on the Sui River. At that time, Yang Yun was quite outspoken and revealed their secret of being in Yao Pass.

It is clear that Sui Sect was involved in this matter.

Li Weiyi got down to business. "What happened to Qi Xiao? A Dao Seed Realm Martial Cultivator, Overlord of the Mortal World, how could he disappear without a trace?"

Those who can cultivate to the Dao Seed Realm are all individuals with extremely high talent.

Yin Er claims his talent is only average among hidden people. Dao Seed Realm at the Second Heaven forties is absolutely one in ten thousand, one in a million among all martial arts practitioners.

Of the sixty reclusive individuals identified in a sixty-year cycle, over ninety percent were destined to never achieve immortality.

At first, everyone thought Qi Xiao had gone to the Underground Immortal Mansion.

The Qi Family was the first to notice something was wrong.

After much investigation, it was discovered that before Qi Xiao disappeared, he had sent people to search for Yang Qingxi.

However, by then Yang Qingxi and Sui Sect's men had already left Qiuzhou city to investigate, leading to a stalemate.

The world is vast and dangerous. Countless people go missing every day, finding a single person is extremely difficult, and it is common for bodies to be lost without a trace.

During that time, Li Weiyi had to fake being seriously injured and crippled. He only learned about this three months later. He naturally felt guilty and worried that it was because of Yang Qingxi that Qi Xiao had met with misfortune.

Shi Jiuzhai said, "Over the past three months, I've investigated both the Underground Immortal Mansion and Yang Qingxi's direction!"

"The first thing to check is the city gate entry and exit records. There are no records of Qi Xiao leaving the city during the days he disappeared."

"Then there are only two possibilities. One is that he encountered a top-tier expert, was subdued or killed silently, and then his body was disposed of."

Secondly, he used some method to avoid the city gate guards.

"Therefore, the possibility of going to the Underground Immortal Mansion can basically be ruled out."

"Assuming it's the first scenario, based on the information held by the Hidden Gate and the investigations conducted by the Qi Family and the Zuoqiu Courtyard, at that time in Qiuzhou City, there were only three Sui Sect experts with this level of strength, including Yao Qian."

"The Qi Family has investigated this area, but it's very difficult to find any results."

"I'm focusing my investigation on the second scenario! Under what circumstances would Qi Xiao deliberately avoid registering with the city gate guards?"

Li Weiyi pondered for a moment and said, "Unless what he wants to avoid is not the city gate guards."

Shi Jiuzhai nodded. "He's following me!"

"Who are you following?" Li Weiyi asked.

Shi Jiuzhai said, "He wouldn't dare follow those with too high a cultivation level. There's no point in following those with too low a cultivation level."

"Yang Qingxi?" Li Weiyi asked.

Shi Jiuzhai said, "Very likely! I followed this conjecture and continued investigating, and I actually found some things."

"I first checked the records of Yang Qingxi entering and leaving the city gates during that period, but found nothing. So, I changed my approach and copied down all the records of carriages and horses leaving the city on the day Qi Xiao left the Qi residence, spending a lot of time screening and eliminating possibilities."

"Ultimately, Qingyun Vehicle Company, with its ties to the Sui Sect, became my primary target. The owner of Qingyun Vehicle Company is from the Sui Sect, a secret known only to the Jiu Li Tribe."

"The Sui Sect understands the Jiu Li Tribe very well, and the Jiu Li Tribe understands them just as well."

"Every driver and every Exotic Beast Carriage or horse-drawn carriage at Qingyun Vehicle Company is registered, including the departure and return times. I secretly stole this register recording carriage and horse trips and copied it. That's how I found the clues!"

"Wang Zhi joined Qingyun Vehicle Company two months before the Qianlong Lantern Festival, carrying a letter of introduction from Yang Qingxi."

"The same day Qi Xiao disappeared, he also disappeared! The city gate guards have records; that night, he drove out of the city and never returned."

"Where is Yang Qingxi?" Li Weiyi's eyes were terrifyingly cold.

Having investigated to this point, it's almost certain that this matter is related to her.

Although Li Weiyi planted the Six Desires Talisman on her, he is not currently Mind Master or Dao Seed Realm, so he cannot sense her location using the Six Desires Talisman.

Moreover, it's been half a year already!

The fact that Yang Qingxi didn't contact him first indicates that the threat of the Six Desires Talisman has been neutralized through other methods.

The fact that they agreed so readily at the time clearly indicates that they both had a backup plan.

Yin Er said, "We investigated, but couldn't find her. Even the people we planted within the Sui Sect couldn't find her. She's probably in seclusion, trying to break through to the Dao Seed Realm."

Shi Jiuzhai said, "The connection with Wang Zhi hasn't been severed."

"Oh?" Li Weiyi asked in surprise.

Shi Jiuzhai smiled and said, "Yang Qingxi's pre-arranged pawn couldn't possibly be used only during the Qianlong Lantern Festival. Wang Zhi's disappearance was probably just to avoid the limelight; he likely sent word back to the Qi residence while he was afraid Qi Xiao was following them."

"Six months have passed, and he probably thinks he's safe now. Because the Qi Family hasn't been able to find Qingyun Vehicle Company, and when I was investigating, I was extremely careful and didn't alert anyone."

"Ten days ago, my man, whom I had planted in the car dealership, came to report that Wang Zhi had actually returned to Qingyun Vehicle Company and had even transformed himself into the adopted son of the dealership owner, Wang Shouxin."

Li Weiyi had calmed down, picked up his glass, and drank his sixth cup. "What does someone who has already left want to do by suddenly returning?"

"Hidden Person preparing to make a move?" Shi Jiuzhai could sense Li Weiyi's concern for Qi Xiao, as well as his chill towards the enemy.

Li Weiyi said, "Let's take it first, lest things get complicated. Ninth Brother, shall we go together?"

Shi Jiuzhai hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.

"Second Brother, the Hidden Gate should have the Extreme Day Light Dew, right? Get me a hundred drops." Li Weiyi stood up, not wanting to wait even a moment longer.

"Puff!"

Yin Er spat out a mouthful of wine, exclaiming in surprise, "One hundred drops? Extreme Day Light Dew is a supreme treasure born from the land of polar day, like liquid light. One drop can be used to refine one hundred Light Flame Pill."

"Even the Jiu Li Divine Hall has to go to Thousand Mile Mountain to buy the Extreme Day Light Dew, and a single drop costs between 30,000 and 40,000 Spring Coin."

"I can only buy you a maximum of ten drops. The usual deal: you pay half, Hidden Gate pays the other half."

Li Weiyi frowned, not expecting the Extreme Day Light Dew to be so precious.

The shortcuts in this world are indeed all built with money.

Fortunately, Yang Qingxi owed him five million Spring Coin, and he had to get that debt back.

To quickly become Mind Master, one has to go all out. Li Weiyi said, "Thirty drops, no less. I'll raise 500,000 Spring Coin for you as soon as possible. If that doesn't work, go to the head of the Cangli Tribe and say this is for his daughter's cultivation expenses."

"Also, check the Hidden Gate's treasury for Spiritual Platform Blazing Star Stone Fragment. If not, make a high-profile purchase in my name; the price is negotiable."

Yin Er's eyes dimmed. "Is the only path for those Hidden Person to become mind masters?"

"Even if a cultivator reaches the level of the Confucian Dao Ancestor of the Zuoqiu Courtyard, they can still command the wind and rain and laugh at the world," Li Weiyi said frankly.

Li Weiyi and Shi Jiuzhai drove the carriage towards Qingyun Vehicle Company.

Shi Jiuzhai observed Li Weiyi's eyes and expression, and laughed, "Seeing your fighting spirit rekindled makes me feel much better! If my cultivation had been one level higher back then, I could have taken that sword for you."

Even when facing Longevity Realm Giants, Shi Jiuzhai and Shi Liuyu did not hesitate to rescue him. Regardless of their character or whether the rescue was successful, Li Weiyi deeply appreciated their willingness to risk such extreme danger!

Therefore, Shi Jiuzhai said at this moment that he wanted to take that sword for Li Weiyi.

Li Weiyi!

"What realm is Ninth Brother at?" Li Weiyi suddenly asked.

Shi Jiuzhai said, "The Sixth Heaven the Dao Seed Realm."

Li Weiyi was secretly shocked. No wonder Hidden Eleven said that in this sixty-year cycle, in terms of foundation, Hidden Nine was the best. But in terms of cultivation speed, Hidden One and Hidden Five were the fastest.

At just over thirty years old, at the Sixth Heaven the Dao Seed Realm, his cultivation speed is probably even faster than that of Zuoqiu Cangwu, who is the same age.

This is a seed of Longevity Realm Giants!

There are very few Longevity Realm Giants in the world.

Even the top three powers in the Southern Territory, like Coffin Mountain, only have two Longevity Realm Giants. Perhaps there are some lesser-known ones hidden away, but it's hard to keep them hidden; one or two is the most that's possible!

Even a major sect like the Sui Sect only has three experts at the Longevity Realm Giants and Saint Mind Master combined. The top experts of the seven major Lineage within the sect are mostly at the Dao Seed Realm level.

Only powerful Hidden Gate with Myriad Gate Families, possessing complete talent selection systems, abundant resources, and a foundation built over thousands of years, can secretly cultivate a large number of experts.

Even so, not everyone in the Jiu Li Tribe, one of the Myriad Ancient Clan, who is the chief of the Nine Great Tribes and the nine priests of the Jiu Li Tribe temple, is Longevity Realm Giants or Saint Mind Master.

Many of them remain at the Dao Seed Realm and the Mind Master level.

At the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, twenty immortality pills were left behind, which will definitely change the world situation and allow many old guys who were originally trapped in the Daoism realm to secretly reach the immortality realm.

Shi Jiuzhai said, "Every three levels of the Dao Seed Realm represent a major transformation. The Fourth Heaven involves condensing the Dao Lotus, and the Seventh Heaven involves condensing the Dao Fruit. If I condense the Dao Fruit, my strength will undergo a tremendous change... But this step is very difficult. It's possible that even after ten or twenty years of cultivation, I still won't succeed."

"I truly envy your generation, being able to compete for the dragon's bloodline..."

At this point, Shi Jiuzhai stopped talking, realizing he had touched a nerve with Li Weiyi, and chuckled, "I really want to know, did you and Yang Qingxi sleep together?"

"What's wrong?" Li Weiyi asked with a smile.

Shi Jiuzhai said, "Yang Qingxi is a woman who can arouse any man's desire to conquer. If you have already touched her, I will naturally put away my desire to conquer her. If we meet again in the future, I will either kill her directly or let her live."

Li Weiyi hesitated, pondering how to answer.

"Haha, I understand!" Shi Jiuzhai laughed.