Zhu Yin Returns to the Island
Song Wen placed Shan Yue on an uninhabited island, which was ten thousand miles away from Extreme Yin Island.
Leaving behind two Shadow Gu to protect Shan Yue while placing her under house arrest, Song Wen flew towards Limitless Island.
He could no longer return to Extreme Yin Island, and he could no longer use the identity of 'Extreme Yin' for the time being. He planned to find a place far away from Limitless Island and go into seclusion for a period of time. He came to Limitless Island to buy some spirit medicine needed for Alchemy and to gather some intelligence.
Two hours later, Song Wen arrived at Limitless Island.
Disguised as a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator, Song Wen entered Shadow City.
Shadow City, as usual, people came and went, and on the surface, everything seemed calm and peaceful, with nothing out of the ordinary.
After purchasing the spirit medicine, he hesitated for a moment, unsure of who to ask for information.
On Limitless Island, Song Wen's closest acquaintance was none other than Chu Qian.
However, Chu Qian was a typical opportunist, and his friendship with Song Wen was based on an exchange of benefits.
If Song Wen were to contact him now under the identity of 'Extreme Yin', he would betray Song Wen without hesitation.
As Song Wen hesitated, he realized he had arrived at the entrance to Corpse King Valley, where Jing Kai happened to be on duty.
He immediately made up his mind.
Jing Kai hasn't been doing too well lately. He guards the gate of Corpse King Valley, which is safe, but the salary is low, and the Spirit Stone he earns are not enough to support his cultivation.
This forced him to take on dangerous demon-hunting missions in his spare time in order to earn some Spirit Stone.
Shen Shi (3-5 PM).
This was Jing Kai's turn to finish his shift. After handing over the duties to his replacement, he walked out of Corpse King Valley.
He planned to complete a mission to hunt down a second-tier sea monster.
However, before setting off, he still needed to buy some healing and spiritual energy-replenishing pills.
Fifteen minutes later, Jing Kai visited several medicine shops before finally buying the medicine he needed.
The reason he visited so many pill shops wasn't because the pills he wanted were particularly rare; it was simply to compare prices and choose the most affordable option.
"This is outrageous! Three healing pills and five Spirit-Replenishing Pill cost me a whopping five hundred Spirit Stone. The complete corpse of a second-tier Demon Beast is only worth one or two thousand Spirit Stone." Jing Kai cursed inwardly.
Suddenly, a Divine Sense message entered Jing Kai's mind.
"Young friend Jing Kai, how have you been lately?"
Jing Kai up and surveyed the bustling street. He noticed a few feet away, a male cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Realm whom he didn't recognize was smiling at him.
He couldn't help but feel a little suspicious; he didn't know the other person. A sense of vigilance arose in his heart.
"Who are you? How do you know my name?"
"Young friend Jing Kai, don't panic, it's me, Extreme Yin," Song Wen continued to transmit his voice.
"Are you really Senior Extreme Yin?"
A hint of panic flashed in Jing Kai's eyes, and his body trembled slightly, showing a hint of unease.
Song Wen noticed his unusual behavior and said with a gentle smile.
"Young friend Jing Kai, what's wrong with you today? Why are you so restless?"
"N-nothing... it's nothing," Jing Kai, trying to sound calm.
"I have some questions I'd like to ask you, young friend. Would you do me the honor of discussing them?"
Song Wen smiled broadly, but that smile sent a chill down Jing Kai's spine.
"What does Senior wish to know? This junior will answer to the best of my knowledge." Jing Kai's eyes darted around as he spoke.
"This isn't the place to talk. Let's go to a quiet place outside the city and discuss this in detail." Song Wen gestured for them to leave the city.
Song Wen originally intended to find a restaurant in the city to Jing Kai and try to extract some information from him.
But judging from Jing Kai's reaction just now, he must know something, and it's news that's detrimental to Song Wen.
Therefore, Song Wen changed his mind and forced Jing Kai outside the city. In this way, if anything unexpected happened, Song Wen could escape quickly and ensure his own safety.
Jing Kai hesitant and uneasy, his face full of anxiety and doubt.
"Young friend, rest assured, I have no ill intentions towards you. I only wish to inquire about some information. As long as you answer truthfully, I will not only refrain from harming you, but I will also offer you a generous reward," Song Wen said.
Jing Kai probably felt that he couldn't escape from Song Wen's grasp, so he could only nod in agreement.
"Since you have invited me, how could I, a junior, refuse?"
Jing Kai slowly rose into the air and headed out of the city.
Song Wen followed closely behind.
Soon, the two arrived at a dense forest a hundred miles outside the city.
"Senior, please speak frankly, and I will tell you the truth," Jing Kai said respectfully.
He knew that only by cooperating with Song Wen and satisfying Song Wen could he have a glimmer of hope.
Song Wen asked, "Has anything major happened on Limitless Island recently?"
Jing Kai, "Half a month ago, Yuan Qing Yuanqing's Soul Lamp suddenly went out, which enraged Ye Hua, the Demon Venerable, who ordered a thorough investigation to find the culprit. Perhaps fearing that alerting the culprit would cause them to escape, Ye Hua, the Demon Venerable ordered a secret investigation. Therefore, only the Foundation Establishment and above of the inner sect knew about this matter; even the Golden Core elders of the outer sect were unaware of it."
"Have you found any clues?" Song Wen asked.
Jing Kai, "I'm not entirely clear on the specifics either. But I suspect the real culprit hasn't been found yet."
"The Demon Lord considered all the Golden Core elders on Limitless Island as suspects. On the day Yuan Qing's Soul Lamp went out, the Demon Lord sent people to summon all the Golden Core elders from both the inner and outer sects to Corpse King Valley for questioning one by one."
"However, among the Golden Core elders summoned that day, the true culprit was not found. The Demon Lord then made the absent Golden Core elders the main suspects. He sent people to secretly monitor the elders' cave abode. Once these elders returned, they would be captured and taken to Corpse King Valley for detailed interrogation."
After listening to Jing Kai's explanation, Song Wen understood why someone was monitoring Extreme Yin Island.
He also understood why Jing Kai had been so afraid of him before; it was because he was one of the suspects in Yuan Qing's murder.
"Has Zhu Yin returned to Corpse King Valley?" Song Wen asked.
"When I was on duty yesterday, I saw Elder Zhu Yin return to the sect with my own eyes. Moreover, Elder Zhu Yin seemed to be seriously injured, and his breathing was somewhat weak," Jing Kai said.
"Has Zhu Yin been investigated as a suspect?" Song Wen asked.
"I don't know about that," Jing Kai.
Song Wen raised his hand and flipped it over, revealing a Storage Bag.
"Thank you for telling me the truth, young friend. Here are 50,000 Spirit Stone as a reward for you."
Upon hearing that it contained a full 50,000 Spirit Stone, Jing Kai looked at the Storage Bag handed to him by Song Wen, his eyes filled with intense eagerness.
This sum of Spirit Stone was enough to solve his immediate problem.
He was about to reach out to take it when his hand suddenly stopped in mid-air.
"Senior has always been kind to juniors, how could juniors accept your Spirit Stone?"
Song Wen directly stuffed the Storage Bag into Jing Kai's hand.
While they were still in the city, Song Wen noticed that Jing Kai was currently in dire financial straits.
To win someone over, you must give them what they desperately need.