The Fire Crane Tracks Her Down
Zhao Ting greeted the person at the head of the table with great enthusiasm, "Uncle."
Sitting upright in his chair, He Lun gave him a rather stingy look. "Oh, busy man, what brings you to see me today? You're usually busy at your guest quarters, and I've called you several times but you never come."
Zhao Ting quickly explained, "I'm only doing this because you've been busy, Uncle. Otherwise, how could I refuse your invitation? I've finally found some free time today, and there haven't been many outsiders willing to stay at our Listening Tide Sect these days, so I had the opportunity to come and see you."
But this is not good news for He Lun.
He Lun and his sister were born of the same mother and had a very close relationship since childhood. However, He Lun's sister did not have He Lun's talents and only managed to reach the Nascent Soul in her entire life. She gave birth to a son named Zhao Ting and then passed away.
Because of his good relationship with his sister, after his brother-in-law also passed away before reaching the end of his life, he took in his nephew Zhao Ting.
It can be said that in the entire Listening Tide Sect, even though Zhao Ting is not the most talented person in the sect, he is the one who knows the most secrets about He Lun and is also the closest to him.
Because of this close relationship, Zhao Ting was able to become the steward of the Listening Tide Sect at a young age, and even manage such an important place as the guest courtyard.
Even the disciples who were keeping watch had to obediently listen to him, the person in charge.
It can be said that He Lun was grooming Zhao Ting to be his successor.
Hearing his nephew's words, He Lun frowned. "Are there very few outside cultivators coming to the Cloud Mulberry Realm these days?"
"That's quite a lot. The people guarding the Teleportation Array say that at least a hundred people come here every day," Zhao Ting said sarcastically.
He Lun snorted coldly, "They really are a swarm of flies drawn by the smell... Then why are there so few people coming to our sect?"
Zhao Ting helplessly, "It's all because of that Green Lotus who came here every day a few days ago, making a scene in search of her sister. We originally planned to get rid of her quietly, but Green Lotus seems to have gotten smarter. She's been bringing a large group of outside cultivators with her every day and spreading the news of her sister's disappearance. These past few days, she's even been standing in front of the Teleportation Array, telling every outsider she sees about her sister. Our disciples have explained many times, but to little avail."
What Zhao Ting didn't finish saying was that, just as the people of the Cloud Mulberry Realm united to be xenophobic, the cultivators from outside would also unite to develop their own power after learning about the Cloud Mulberry Realm's attitude towards them.
The matter has escalated to the point where it is no longer a simple matter between the Listening Tide Sect and the foreign cultivators; it has now become a matter between the Cloud Mulberry Realm and the other four small worlds.
When these outsiders unite, it becomes quite difficult for them to accomplish anything.
He Lun listened to his nephew recount these hardships, his expression gradually darkened. "So, even now that those flies and bedbugs have banded together, you still can't do anything about them?"
"It's not entirely hopeless," Zhao Ting continued. "After all, we still control this Teleportation Array. The Cloud Mulberry Realm hates them so much these days, they have nowhere to rest or train. Even if that female cultivator named Green Lotus can hold on, the other cultivators definitely can't. As long as we control the Teleportation Array and prevent them from leaving, they'll eventually submit to us in this environment. It's just that this will take a while, Uncle, you'll have to wait a little longer."
"Wait? I can wait, but that person can't! If we can't prepare all the offerings by the time it's set, how are we supposed to complete the ritual?!" He Lun rarely lost his temper with his nephew.
However, Zhao Ting was already used to He Lun's eccentric temper, so he simply reassured him, "Uncle, don't worry, there are still six people in the guest courtyard. I've already calculated it; with the six of them, the offerings are definitely enough, but only enough to complete the ritual. We'll need to prepare food after the ritual. Wouldn't it be more interesting if we just led some people to kidnap some outside cultivators and let that person hunt them down themselves? That way, even if someone suspects something, they won't be able to find anyone, and naturally, they won't have any evidence."
He Lun nodded, clearly satisfied with Zhao Ting's plan. "Alright, then we'll do as you say. The sacrificial ceremony is about to begin, so deal with those six people as soon as possible. If you need help, just take my token and go find someone. Now, apart from those few old fogies still in seclusion, the entire Listening Tide Sect is my domain. No one will dare to say a word against you."
Having gotten what he wanted, Zhao Ting obediently left with the token.
Just as the scheming on one side was about to begin, the divination of Sang Ying and the others on the other side was also making progress.
Because it was related to her sister's whereabouts, Green Lotus dared not be negligent in the slightest, and gave Lan Fusheng and the others things that were closely related to Red Lotus.
Not only were there hair and blood, but even a handkerchief worn close to the skin.
Duan Hanyi didn't choose anything else, but instead took Red Lotus's blood to begin the calculation.
After his divination tablet was dripped with blood, it suddenly began to tremble violently, as if it had found someone's presence.
The fingernail pressed down on Duan Hanyi pen, drawing many messy lines on the white paper. The five onlookers were all bewildered, unable to understand what he was drawing at all.
Fortunately, Duan Hanyi stopped moving after a short while.
He seemed to breathe a huge sigh of relief, wiping the large beads of sweat from his forehead with his sleeve before pointing to the marks on the paper and saying to everyone, "It's confirmed. Red Lotus is indeed at the Listening Tide Sect, and she's having a very hard time."
Dong Fuzhu immediately asked, "Do you have any way to find her current location?"
"You're quite clever, little girl!" Duan Hanyi chuckled. With a wave of his right hand, the white paper stained with the blood of the Red Lotus and covered in scratches spontaneously combusted. In a burst of flames, it transformed into a flying fire crane, which flew directly through the door and out into the courtyard.
Sang Ying, puzzled, "What's wrong with you?"
Duan Hanyi took a sip of tea. "Let's wait, let's wait. When it returns with news, we'll know exactly what secrets the Listening Tide Sect is hiding."
The fire crane didn't fly for long before plunging into the ground beneath the Listening Tide Sect.
After flying over the thick layers of soil for an unknown amount of time, the flamingo finally arrived at a dark prison.
It passed over the cages that were hanging high in front and finally locked onto the small cage hanging in the middle.
A faint flapping sound quickly caught the attention of the person in the cage. She turned her head and her eyes widened the moment she saw the flamingo.
She instinctively looked around, only to find that none of the guards had noticed the flamingo's presence.
She steadied herself, knowing this was her only chance, and reached out her hand to the flamingo.
A note from the author:
That's all for today! Queque's been getting up super early these past few days, hasn't she?
See you tomorrow~