Clouds of Suspicion

The moment Chu Zheng saw Song Lingqing, he silently thought, This is bad.

According to his original plan, even if he were to make contact with Song Lingqing, he should have been the one to slowly sound her out, giving her at least some time to adjust.

Meeting so hastily like this, the slightest misstep could expose a flaw and bring trouble in its wake.

To Chu Zheng's surprise, Song Lingqing did not speak to him. She merely glanced at him before shifting her gaze away.

Their last meeting had only been a few months ago. It was clearly impossible for her to have forgotten him.

This could only mean that Song Lingqing was doing it deliberately. Obviously, she had her reservations.

To Chu Zheng, that reaction was a good thing. He glanced at Tong Jinshan, his thoughts stirring.

A dignified True Disciple had come to the Spirit Beast Garden, yet only a menial servant had been assigned to guide her. What a slight.

From this alone, it was clear that Song Lingqing's position was hanging by a thread—or rather, had long since existed in name only.

When an ordinary True Disciple came here, even ordinary Outer Disciples would not be qualified to approach them. At the very least, someone at the level of an elder should have received them.

And besides...

Chu Zheng looked toward the area under his charge. The strongest spirit beasts here were only around the middle stage of the Spiritual Spring Realm. No True Disciple would come here to choose a spirit beast.

As the two stood facing each other in silence, Tong Jinshan waved a hand. "Chu Zheng, bring over a Cloud Winged Tiger."

Chu Zheng answered and turned to leave, but Song Lingqing's voice suddenly sounded behind him.

"I'll go with him. It'll save time. Wait for me here a moment."

"True Disciple Song..."

Tong Jinshan hesitated. He did not dare defy Song Lingqing, and after wavering for a while, he carefully said, "He hasn't been here long and doesn't understand proper etiquette. If he offends you in any way, I hope you'll be magnanimous..."

How noble was the status of a True Disciple? Even though Song Lingqing was no longer what she once had been, if she trampled a menial servant to death, no one would care.

"It's fine."

Song Lingqing gave a slight shake of her head and followed Chu Zheng's footsteps.

One in front and one behind, the two soon entered the depths of the Spirit Beast Garden.

"Something happened at home."

Song Lingqing's voice transmission sounded by Chu Zheng's ear. It was not a question; she had already received part of the news.

"Mm."

Chu Zheng responded and came to a stop. In a cave not far away stood a Winged Black Tiger over two zhang long, a Spirit Restraining Ring tightly locked around its neck.

Song Lingqing stepped forward and stroked the black tiger's head through the iron bars. She continued through voice transmission, "It was because of me, wasn't it? Father and Elder Sister... are they alive or dead?"

Chu Zheng was somewhat surprised by this. He instinctively turned his head and glanced at Song Lingqing.

Only now did he have the leisure to carefully examine this woman whom he had met only once before.

Compared to last time, Song Lingqing's face was somewhat pale, as though drained of color. She looked far thinner, and traces of weariness showed faintly between her brows.

Song Lingqing somewhat resembled Song Lingxue, but the impression she gave was completely different.

Especially now. Song Lingqing's tone was unnaturally calm. Dressed all in white, she seemed utterly out of place with the world, to the point that even Chu Zheng felt an inexplicable chill.

"They're alive."

After estimating for a moment, Chu Zheng transmitted, "By now, they should have already left Great Zhou and be heading toward the Giant Marsh."

Before his words had fully faded, he added, "They all thought you were dead. Me included."

"It's good that they're alive."

Song Lingqing nodded slightly, the emotion in her eyes unreadable. "The sect was unwilling to intervene. Those days must have been terribly difficult for them."

"The Phantom Spirit Sect did send someone."

Chu Zheng raised a hand, opened the iron gate, and released the black tiger. "An Outer Disciple, seventh level of the Qi Cultivation Realm."

"I heard. Fu Quanliang."

Song Lingqing's gaze paused, and she remained silent for a long while.

Only after a long time did her voice reach Chu Zheng's ear again.

"My injuries have yet to fully heal, so I came to claim a spirit beast for transport. Why are you here? To confirm whether I was dead?"

"To enter the sect as a menial servant, one must at least be a mortal grandmaster, perhaps even a Great Grandmaster. How did you gain such cultivation in so short a time?"

The Phantom Spirit Sect had its own set of standards for selecting menial servants. It was not somewhere one could enter simply because one wished to.

For Song Lingqing, who had seen Chu Zheng not long ago, no one knew better than her just how terrifying his rate of progress was.

"I cultivated a few Cultivation Methods."

The perfunctoriness in Chu Zheng's words was far too obvious. Song Lingqing's brows furrowed slightly before she said, "I have met Fu Quanliang. His talent is mediocre; he is an ordinary man and lacks the blood-soaked courage to kill enemies across realms. Jiang Cunhu... was that your doing?"

Song Lingqing waited for a long time without hearing Chu Zheng's reply. After a moment of silence, she spoke again:

"Thank you."

"No need. There's no karmic tie between us. I should be thanking you for the few books you gave me back then."

Chu Zheng had always drawn a clear line between debts of gratitude and grudges. Song Lingqing owed him nothing, nor did she need to thank him.

"Father and Elder Sister were able to leave Great Zhou alive—you must have done quite a lot. I know that well. If there is an opportunity in the future, I will repay this debt of gratitude."

There was little ripple in Song Lingqing's voice, like a pool of stagnant water. "You did not join the sect for my sake. What do you want? If I can help, I will do my utmost."

"What are your plans from here on?"

Chu Zheng's gaze shifted slightly. Rather than answer directly, he changed the subject. "I heard your Immortal Bone was shattered. This True Disciple Position..."

"A true disciple is nothing but an empty title. If the Immortal Bone is shattered, then it is shattered—after all, it is only a bone, a stepping stone to knock on the door."

"Now that I have entered the Spiritual Spring and gained Mana, even if my Cultivation Speed is far inferior to what it was before, I can still continue down the path of cultivation."

Song Lingqing spoke calmly. "Where others spend one part effort, I will spend ten, a hundred. At worst, I will start over from the beginning."

"The moment I first set foot upon the immortal path, I made my decision. Even if I must die, I will die on the road to immortality. No matter what price I must pay, I will never stop walking."

"I will repay the Song Family's debts of gratitude, and I will avenge the Song Family's enmities. Even if it takes a hundred years, a thousand years, I will surely achieve my wish."

When she spoke of the immortal path, a nearly obsessive light surfaced in Song Lingqing's stagnant-pool eyes.

Chu Zheng remained silent. From beginning to end, he never mentioned helping Song Lingqing restore her Immortal Bone. It had never been part of his plans.

Setting aside the fact that restoring an Immortal Bone would drag down his own cultivation, the very Immortal Bone that the Phantom Spirit Sect had failed to preserve even with the strength of the entire sect—if he restored it, who knew what an uproar it would cause.

All karma in the world was linked by invisible threads; every matter left traces, however slight. Chu Zheng could not be certain whether the Phantom Spirit Sect had someone skilled in divining the secrets of heaven, nor was he willing to gamble on it.

If such an expert existed and traced it back to him, everything would be over.

Chu Zheng silently removed the Spirit Restraining Ring and handed the Cloud Winged Tiger to Song Lingqing. The instant their fingertips touched, a line of information appeared before his eyes.

Song Lingqing (First Order): True Disciple of the Phantom Spirit Sect, Mid-grade Immortal Bone, meridians severely damaged, Immortal Bone struck heavily twice in succession and forcibly shattered; can be restored (0/3000)

Mid-grade Immortal Bone...

The moment he saw this information, doubts instantly surged in Chu Zheng's eyes.