Old Monster Qi and Liu Meng made inquiries far and wide, but only picked up scattered reports that she had recently appeared in several mortal towns along the Nanzhao Kingdom's border, seemingly taking on intelligence-gathering commissions. They could not pin down her location.
When True Lord Xuanjin learned of this, he told them to set the matter aside for now rather than force it and beat the grass to startle the snake.
At the end of the six-month period, Qi and Liu quietly returned to the base in the Black Wind Mountain Range with their preliminary results.
Two newcomers accompanied them: Han Long, the "Poison-Handed Scholar," and Tu Gang, known as "Blood Sha."
After True Lord Xuanjin's renovations over the past six months, the main hall of the temporary cave residence had been completely transformed.
Though not luxurious, it was clean and tidy. Glowing moonstones lined the walls, level bluestone slabs covered the floor, and a stone table with several stone stools stood in the center.
A faint, calming spiritual aura enveloped the entire space. Clearly, sophisticated mind-clearing and Spirit Gathering Arrays had been laid here.
This was Han Long and Tu Gang's first visit, and both felt curious and uneasy.
From Qi and Liu's accounts, they had formed many conjectures about this mysterious "Daoist Xuanjin." They knew his strength was unfathomable, that an even greater power might stand behind him, and that his ambitions were extraordinary.
Now that they were finally about to meet the man himself, they could not help feeling nervous.
True Lord Xuanjin still wore an unremarkable gray Daoist robe. His face was ordinary, and his aura was restrained, making him seem like a mortal.
Seated upright at the head of the hall, he calmly studied Han Long and Tu Gang standing before him.
Han Long