Yellow Cloud True Person had long since learned about True Person Zixu through indirect inquiries, and had probably formed plenty of guesses about this mysterious expert's origins and identity.
Faced with this question, Li Ling did not dare be careless. He gave the answer he had considered for a long time: "Our connection runs deep."
It was a classic non-answer. He seemed to have answered her question, yet also seemed to have said nothing at all.
Yellow Cloud True Person, however, seemed determined to break the earthenware pot and get to the bottom of it. "As far as I know, this seems to be an invention of a junior in my household. Yet you enjoy the fruits of his work with such an easy conscience, Senior. Presumably, you supplied the original seedlings and the resources needed for his research."
This was an entirely reasonable conjecture. Under normal circumstances, a junior in the Qi Refining Realm could not possibly have completed such research alone. Li Ling must have had an expert senior supporting him.
If that were truly the case, Mystic Xin Peak's acquisition of the secret formula for Teaweed Incense constituted a karmic tie of some consequence.
But since it had been given voluntarily, she did not mind accepting it. The distinguished Yellow Cloud True Person was not so timid. What truly concerned her was the relationship between Li Ling and True Person Zixu!
This direct questioning also seemed to be a test, allowing her to glean a few clues from True Person Zixu's response.
The ancestor says nothing, but she really has been thinking about this all along...
Li Ling smiled bitterly to himself. Helping Mystic Xin Peak was not so easy, either.
By rights, Li Ling, a Qi Refining disciple, should not have possessed the ability or opportunities