The Chairman's True Face
Four Shadow Gu flapped their wings and arrived near the small river to the east. They searched the area within dozens of miles and found that apart from two Golden Core cultivators fishing on the riverbank, there were no other suspicious people.
Song Wen soared into the air and landed on the surface of the stream.
Both of them wore masks; one was a ghost head mask, and the other was a beast head mask. Their true faces were not visible, but judging from their figures, they were both male cultivators.
"We've been waiting for you for quite a while, Fellow Daoist. We thought you were too timid to come."
Upon seeing Song Wen appear, the ghost-headed cultivator spoke.
Song Wen ignored the sarcasm in the other person's words and asked.
"May I ask, which fellow Daoist is the guild leader?"
"Both of us."
"You invited me here, may I ask what brings you here?" Song Wen asked.
The ghost-headed cultivator raised his hand and waved it, conjuring a soundproof barrier before speaking.
"Naturally, we invite you to join the 'Anti-Xing Society' and fight against the Xing Family together with us."
Song Wen shook his head. "Although I have a grudge against the Xing Family, I have no interest in joining the 'Anti-Xing Society.' I only want to know the secrets of Cloud Ridge Mountain."
He was deeply suspicious of the two men's motives for resisting the Xing Family.
These two men either had ulterior motives in dealing with the Xing Family, wanting to gain some benefits from the Xing Family; or they didn't want to risk their lives and wanted to use others to take revenge.
Just like Jiang Fen, if she succeeds, then the two of them will also have successfully avenged themselves; but if Jiang Fen fails and dies at the hands of the Xing Family, it will not cause any harm to the two of them.
Song Wen could not bear to become a pawn in someone else's revenge.
"Fellow Daoist, you want information but don't want to pay any price. Aren't you being a bit too greedy?" the ghost-headed cultivator said.
Song Wen said, "Since everyone is resisting the Xing Family, what difference does it make whether or not we join the 'Anti-Xing Society'?"
The male cultivator with the ghost head wanted to say something more, but was stopped by the male cultivator with the beast head.
"Fellow Daoist is right. We welcome anything that opposes the Xing Family. Let's end today's meeting here and investigate the secrets of Cloud Ridge Mountain as soon as possible."
"When will the investigation be completed?" Song Wen asked.
"At the latest, it will be no later than a month. On the night of the next full moon, we will notify all members of the 'Anti-Xing Society' through Message Jade Slip," the beast-headed male cultivator said.
"I'm a little curious, how did you two obtain such detailed intelligence on the Xing Family?" Song Wen asked.
"That's not something I can tell you," the beast-headed male cultivator said.
Song Wen cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and then soared into the air.
"This person's origins are unknown. Should we really give him the Xing Family's information?" the masked male cultivator asked.
The beast-headed male cultivator said, "Why can't we give it to him? No matter who he is, as long as he takes action against the Xing Family, it will be to our advantage."
"What if he's a spy sent by the Xing Family?" the masked man asked.
"If he were a spy for the Xing Family, it wouldn't have been just him who arrived, but Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Xing Family. How would we still have the chance to stand here?" said the beast-headed male cultivator.
"Before he arrived, weren't you worried that this was a trap set by the Xing Family?" the masked male cultivator asked.
The beast-headed male cultivator said, "Rest assured! If any Nascent Soul Cultivator enters the Ghost Market, I will know immediately."
After a moment of silence, the masked male cultivator suddenly asked, "I have fulfilled my promise to you, finding dozens of people who have grudges against the Xing Family and getting them to join the 'Anti-Xing Society.' When will you fulfill your promise?"
The male cultivator with the beast's head said, "Don't worry. We will keep our promise to you."
The masked male cultivator nodded, not pressing the matter further. He clasped his hands in farewell and said, "Farewell."
The beast-headed male cultivator stared at the figure of the ghost-faced male cultivator until it completely disappeared into the dense forest before turning and leaving.
Song Wen didn't go far; he stopped about forty li from the stream.
This distance was beyond the limit of Golden Core cultivator's Divine Sense perception range. The two presidents of the 'Anti-Xing Society' could not sense his whereabouts, but he was able to spy on their movements with the help of the Shadow Gu.
The two left in completely different directions.
The male cultivator with the beast-headed head went to the Ghost Market.
The masked man went to the western wilderness.
Without much thought, Song Wen decided to follow the masked male cultivator.
The Ghost Market is protected by array formations, and it also hides many Golden Core cultivators, making it unsuitable for taking action.
The masked male cultivator traveled westward, deliberately taking detours several times along the way, seemingly on guard against someone.
Half an hour later, he arrived at the foot of a high mountain.
He was about to enter a Cave at the foot of the mountain when he suddenly heard a shout behind him.
"Fellow Daoist, please wait."
The masked male cultivator suddenly turned around, and before he could even see the other person, he spoke with a hint of anger in his voice.
"Jing Lie, what do you mean by this? Why are you following me?"
"Fellow Daoist, you seem to have mistaken me for someone else. I am not Jing Lie."
Song Wen's figure slowly emerged from the dense forest.
Upon seeing that the newcomer was not Jing Lie, the masked male cultivator visibly relaxed a bit, but a hint of doubt crept in.
"It's you! Why are you following me?"
"Where did you get your intelligence from?" Song Wen asked.
"Why should I tell you?" the masked man asked the cultivator.
"Since you are unwilling to speak, I will have to resort to some means to force you to talk." A hint of coldness crept into Song Wen's words.
"You're only at the Golden Core Early Stage realm. I don't know where you get the audacity to spout such nonsense in front of me, a Late Golden Core Stage cultivator."
The masked male cultivator shouted sternly, but his expression was unusually wary, not as confident as his tone suggested.
Song Wen dared to follow him alone without being discovered, so Song Wen must have something to rely on.
He already suspected that Song Wen's displayed cultivation level was fake.
"Hehe, you'll know once you try it."
Song Wen's aura suddenly changed, like a biting cold wind, and a chilling killing intent swept out.
"Fellow Daoist, wait a moment, let's talk this out."
Before Song Wen could make a move, the masked male cultivator hurriedly called out to Song Wen.
"The intelligence about the Xing Family was passed on by Jing Feiyao."
He did not hesitate to reveal the secret of the 'Anti-Xing Society'.
"Jing Feiyao?" Song Wen frowned slightly. "Why would she reveal information about the Xing Family to you?"
The masked male cultivator said, "The beast-headed male cultivator by the river earlier was Jing Lie from the Jing Family."
"What is your Jing Family trying to do by forming the 'Anti-Xing Society'? Are you trying to overthrow the Xing Family?" Song Wen asked.
After Xing Wenyao colluded with the Jing Family and ambushed and killed Xing Gaohan, the relationship between the Xing and Jing families became increasingly close.
Now, the Jing Family is stirring up trouble on the Xing Family's territory, creating a so-called "Anti-Xing Society," which is clearly a sinister move.
The masked man, a Daoist practitioner, replied, "I don't know either. I'm not a member of the Jing Family. I only helped Jing Lie establish the 'Anti-Xing Society'."
Song Wen said, "I am rather curious, the Jing Family is so powerful, why would they need to use you, fellow Daoist, to establish the 'Anti-Xing Society'?"
The masked man, a cultivator, said, "I once served as Golden Core cultivator in the Xing Family for a period of time. I know some of the Xing Family's secrets and have uncovered the true identities of some cultivators who are hostile to the Xing Family."
"In that case, I'm even more curious about your true identity. Would you be so kind as to remove your mask and let me see your face?" Song Wen said in a somewhat sinister tone.