A new demon, a hidden presence

"I see, you have such a past," Jian Cunyi said with some sympathy after hearing Qin Siyu's account. "Now that I know about this, I won't stand idly by... I will definitely visit your Village after this matter is over."

"Whether you find the 'Taiyin Moonlight Grass' or not, 'Cold Jade Spring Water', I will still do this, to see if I can do my part."

Jian Cunyi spoke, Qin Siyu's face lit up with surprise.

"Thank you so much Daoist Master Xingyi... I am deeply grateful!"

"It's not too late to say such things after I get there and can actually help... Alright, I need to go repair this Sect-Protecting Grand Formation," Jian Cunyi's voice gradually weakened, "You two take care of yourselves."

Afterwards, the Duxuan Sect returned to silence, Jian Cunyi had probably gone to devote himself to maintaining the Formation.

Lin Yu looked at Qin Siyu and spoke.

"So... you're saying only thieves can afford your current lifestyle because you need to take care of the elders and folks in your Village who are suffering from Fire Poison, is that right?"

Qin Siyu nodded slightly, but then shook her head. "Not entirely... Like I said, I also crave a luxurious lifestyle."

"But because of the Fire Poison, many people are unable to work in the fields, and some children are born with congenital disabilities... If I leave it unattended, I'm afraid the Village will really be destroyed."

Qin Siyu said in a low voice.

Lin Yu looked at Qin Siyu and said, "She really has a strong sense of responsibility..."

Qin Siyu seemed a little uncomfortable with Lin Yu's praise, and lowered her head to say, "I didn't do this out of a sense of 'responsibility' or anything like that... Just as I enjoy the act of stealing itself, I also enjoy being able to help the Village."

"I did it for my own selfish reasons."

At this point, Qin Siyu didn't wait for Lin Yu's evaluation any longer, but instead put her hands together in prayer.

"Smack!"

A crisp sound rang out, and Qin Siyu changed the subject, saying, "Are you hungry, senior? I think I'm a little hungry—let's go get something to eat."

Lin Yu asked curiously, "Does the Duxuan Sect... even have food?"

Qin Siyu replied matter-of-factly, "Of course! I've been in here for thirty days. If there hadn't been food, and I hadn't reached the stage of fasting, I would have starved to death long ago!"

Lin Yu asked, "So, where did this food come from?"

"Of course we brought them in," Qin Siyu said matter-of-factly. "How could I not bring provisions for an activity that's obviously going to take a long time outside?"

"Although I only brought five days' worth of rations with me when I entered this place... don't forget, there were sixteen of us, and they died long ago."

"Everyone brought about a five-day supply... Now I'm the only one left. If I eat sparingly, it should last until next year."

As she spoke, Qin Siyu waved to Lin Yu.

"Let's go. The provisions and luggage are in a room on the southwest side of this Duxuan Sect. I'll take you there."

Qin Siyu spoke, although Lin Yu wasn't hungry yet, he certainly wouldn't be polite about eating for free. After all, for him, eating gave him a chance to gain buffs, so Lin Yu followed Qin Siyu and got up.

The two quickly arrived at a building that looked like a warehouse on the southwest side of the Duxuan Sect. Qin Siyu unlocked the door and then led Lin Yu inside.

Soon, Qin Siyu skillfully found a bundle on the shelf and pulled out a dry wheat cake from it.

"Snap!"

The wheat cake was crisply broken in half. Qin Siyu carefully held the two pieces, moistened her other hand with saliva, picked up the crumbs that had fallen onto the bundle when she broke the cake, and put them in her mouth. Then she handed one piece of cake to Lin Yu.

"Eat up, senior—you don't seem to have cultivated a technique that allows you to abstain from food."

Lin Yu took the half of the wheat cake. It felt rough, dry, and hard to the touch, definitely not something that would taste good.

However, if you smell it up close, you can detect a very faint aroma of roasted grains.

He and Qin Siyu took a bite of the pancake together, and as Lin Yu had predicted... it had little flavor, and was very hard and dry, not at all delicious.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was unpalatable.

He chewed the wheat cake slowly, while Qin Siyu ate with great relish, making crunching noises like a mouse grinding its teeth.

She looked at Lin Yu and said, "Senior, this wheat cake is my favorite food... but it probably isn't considered a delicacy by you otherworldly travelers, is it?"

Lin Yu nodded, then said somewhat tactfully, "It doesn't count, but it's fine for filling your stomach... at least it doesn't have a strange taste."

Qin Siyu smiled, "I've heard that even families of ordinary means in your area can eat meat every meal, and the everyday dishes are all very delicious. That's wonderful... I'm so envious."

"If only I had the chance to live in your world."

Lin Yu looked at Qin Siyu and said, "Are you beating around the bush because you've heard some rumors about 'Daoist Master Xingyi'?"

Qin Siyu was somewhat surprised and stunned upon hearing Lin Yu's words, blinking her eyes. "What rumor?"

Lin Yu was also a little puzzled, and he began to analyze Qin Siyu's Microexpressions himself.

Because this woman had a history of acting and Fraud, and her acting was quite excellent, he still needed to rule out whether she was acting when she behaved in a way that was "unreasonable" or contradicted Lin Yu understanding.

What if I wasn't paying enough attention this time and didn't notice the other person's weakness in time?

But after careful examination, Lin Yu was able to confirm it...

Qin Siyu wasn't putting on an act this time; she genuinely didn't know what Lin Yu was talking about.

So Lin Yu took the opportunity to explain.

"Haven't you heard of it... I thought you knew?"

"Daoist Master Xingyi has been working hard to bring the Commoner people of the Prison Mountain Realm to our side for resettlement."

Lin Yu said casually.

Qin Siyu looked shocked. "I've never heard of such a thing before... or rather... this matter hasn't spread at all in the Prison Mountain Realm."

"Because my information network is fairly good, so... although there are quite a few people in the Daoist Master Xingyi, no one has ever mentioned Daoist Master Xingyi's ambition."

Lin Yu wasn't surprised. "Quite a few people in the Daoist Sect know about it... They've probably Daoist Sect kept the news under wraps."

"Besides, Brother Jian isn't the type to publicize such things, so it's probably... normal that you don't know."

As Lin Yu spoke, Qin Siyu nodded, as if she had thought of something, "However, I have vaguely heard that Daoist Master Xingyi in your world... seems to be not particularly good?"

"Furthermore, he has some misunderstandings and rifts with some members of the Daoist Sect. Could it all be because of this matter?"

Lin Yu looked at Qin Siyu and nodded, saying, "She's smart, that's why."

"That makes sense... Although it sounds like a good thing at first glance, in practice it will probably create many new and more serious problems..."

Qin Siyu pondered for a moment before speaking.

While the two were eating wheat cakes and chatting...

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from outside the door.

"Who?"

Qin Siyu immediately raised her head, looked alertly at the source of the sound, and questioned loudly.

There was no response from the source of the sound outside the door. Qin Siyu frowned and looked at Lin Yu.

"Senior, I think... we need to go out and take a look!"

"There's something strange about this place."

As Qin Siyu spoke, she broke the remaining small piece of wheat cake in half, stuffed it all into her mouth, and chewed it with a "crunch, crunch" sound as she walked out the door.

Lin Yu also took several big bites of the wheat cake and ate them, following closely behind Qin Siyu.

The two walked out of the Duxuan Sect's storeroom and soon saw...

There was a strange "drag mark" on the ground, and next to the drag mark were some bloodstains.

Upon seeing these strange marks, Qin Siyu's expression changed slightly.

"There are remnants of demonic energy... Are there still Yaomo within the Duxuan Sect?"

Upon hearing Qin Siyu's words, Lin Yu Leng Jing replied, "There are Yaomo? Don't panic... Let's inform Brother Jian first!"

With Brother Jian here, the sky won't fall!

As Lin Yu spoke, Qin Siyu felt somewhat relieved.

"That's true... after all, Daoist Master Xingyi is here."

"The ancient Great Demon we just encountered didn't cause any trouble, so the other Yaomo are even less of a threat."

But...

Although Qin Siyu's panic was calmed, Lin Yu was far from as calm as he appeared.

On the contrary... Lin Yu clearly realized one thing.

Something's wrong!

The reason is simple... Now that Jian Cunyi has dealt with Living Foot, he can be considered to have completely taken control of the protective formation of the Duxuan Sect Sect-Protecting Grand Formation.

Within the Du Duxuan Sect, a sect skilled in Formation Dao formations, the Sect-Protecting Grand Formation naturally covers almost every corner of the entire Duxuan Sect.

In other words... Jian Cunyi should now know every corner of the Duxuan Sect like the back of his hand.

Even... as a "Feng Shui Master," he would definitely possess extremely high perception and information-gathering abilities without relying on the Sect-Protecting Grand Formation.

But...

Now, within the Duxuan Sect, traces of a new Yaomo have appeared.

Moreover... judging from these marks, they appeared recently.

This means that a Great Demon who could deceive Jian Cunyi, who had taken over the Jian Cunyi formation of the Duxuan Sect Sect-Protecting Grand Formation, and a Yaomo whose existence could be imperceptible to "Feng Shui Master," has quietly emerged!

Of course... it's also possible that this Yaomo didn't completely escape Jian Cunyi's perception.

But that would point to an even more terrifying possibility: Jian Cunyi knows of the Yaomo's existence, yet is powerless to subdue it!

Therefore, Lin Yu is more inclined to believe that the Yaomo had deceived Jian Cunyi's senses.

So here's the question...

How did this Yaomo manage to do that?

As well as...

Having fooled Jian Cunyi, this Yaomo reappears at this point in time...

What are you planning to do now?