The man transporting the treasure was Chi Feng, Hu Qingya's most capable subordinate. His fate was unknown, but he was probably dead. This was a tremendous loss for Zhongzhou's intelligence organization, and meant its operations would be paralyzed for a time.
The pendant was extraordinary, so it was no wonder Hu Qingya had sent him to transport it. But whoever she had sent, the outcome probably would have been the same. The enemy must have had their sights set on the world-purifying Qinglian leaves.
Who had collected the world-purifying Qinglian leaves now? Perhaps it was Li Taichong from Yuezhou, or perhaps Wan Songxiao. Both wanted to summon the Qingping Sword and use it for some secret purpose.
Including the leaf Wan Songxiao had tricked me out of earlier, we had now lost three in total. Only Zhao Qian's world-purifying Qinglian leaf bookmark remained intact. Given how important these leaves were, I immediately took out a communication talisman and warned Zhao Qian to watch out for anyone coveting her bookmark.
The reply sent a chill through me. Zhao Qian had already used her bookmark. Fortunately, she had not lost the leaf.
But with my master, the Sword Demon, protecting her, how could Zhao Qian have needed to use the bookmark? Even though she had kept the world-purifying Qinglian leaf, I could imagine how dangerous the situation must have been. I hurriedly sent another communication talisman to ask how she was doing.
Zhao Qian had quite a few of my communication talismans, so her brief reply soon arrived: "Encountered a powerful enemy on the road. Had no choice but to use it."
I understood. Zhao Qian was on her way to the Inner Immortal Sea to contact the Queen Mother of the West and the others. My master, the Sword Demon, probably