Household Head Li, a Word in Private

Although it had been temporarily confirmed that no supreme cultivators were spying nearby, Yuhong was still not entirely at ease.

At this moment, he was no longer the decisive and ruthless Purple Mansion True Person, but rather like a nagging mortal elder, explaining everything in great detail.

Li Zhengjun smiled and replied a few more times, keeping Yuhong's instructions in mind.

He then bid farewell to everyone and, with a flick of his sleeve, led Li Huchan and Li Dongsheng away from this realm.

In the blink of an eye, the three of them arrived in the Great Scarlet Realm.

Li Dongsheng was horrified, but remained calm.

Li Huchan's eyes widened, and he immediately revealed a pair of tiger teeth.

"My lord, this must be the Great Scarlet Realm? Hehe, indeed a great place to showcase one's talents!"

Li Zhengjun glanced at the two of them, handed them the Jade Slip containing records of events in the Great Scarlet Realm, and smiled:

"Let's familiarize ourselves with the area first. We're heading to the outskirts now; the Sun Household and others have already arrived."

Upon hearing that the Sun Household family had arrived, Li Huchan turned his barrel-like neck, a playful look appearing on his face.

Even Li Dongsheng was filled with murderous intent at this moment.

In their eyes, the Sun Household and other families were enemies who would obstruct the Li Household and would be killed sooner or later.

Li Zhengjun chuckled, realizing these two were even more bloodthirsty than Li Dongping, and then said:

"Don't frighten anyone, especially Huchan. It's very difficult for the Demon Beast of this world to transform into human form, so you should be careful. Dongsheng, keep an eye on him for me, and if necessary, gently remind him by pressing his head down."

"Yes!" Li Dongsheng replied solemnly.

Li Huchan nodded hastily, suppressing his demonic Yao Qi, but his eyes still couldn't help but dart around.

"Rest assured, sir, Huchan understands! I will certainly not jeopardize your important plans."

The two agreed in unison and followed Li Zhengjun to the outskirts of the city.

Before long, a cluster of courtyards stretching for miles came into view; this was the cultivation residence of the Li Household outside the city.

Li Zhengjun did not rush inside. His Divine Sense had already swept over an old tree by the roadside, where a gray-brown bird was perched on a branch. It was the Owl that he had not seen for a long time.

He gave Li Huchan and Li Dongsheng a wink, and the two immediately understood, spreading out to guard the surroundings.

The Owl sensed Li Zhengjun's presence and immediately flapped its wings, landing on Li Zhengjun shoulder. It nuzzled his ear and said in a fawning tone:

"Greetings, Your Excellency! It has been two months since we last met, and your divine radiance is even more dazzling; I almost couldn't open my eyes!"

Li Zhengjun patted his little head and said:

"Alright, alright, what brings you here? Has something happened to Ye Xiufan two?"

Owl hurriedly said, "My lord, that fellow surnamed Ye has been making a show of himself these past two days, trying to find an opportunity to go to Gold-Bearing Mountain. He must be looking for the so-called treasure he mentioned."

Li Zhengjun nodded; he already knew about this from Li Yuankai, and then said:

"Is there anything else?"

Owl rolled its eyes and said, "Ye Xiufan has advanced another realm. I remember they were all very surprised at the time, saying things like, 'He actually broke through two realms in a row, Non-Self be a genius?' It was truly laughable!"

He broke through another realm in just two months. Even though it was only the Fetal Breath Second Layer, this speed was quite unusual in the Great Scarlet Realm. It seems that Ye Xiufan and that remnant soul really have some ability.

Of course, there is another possibility: Ye Xiufan himself is more suited to the Dao Path of cultivating the Frozen Water Dao.

"That would be perfect; it would allow Father Ji to pave the way."

After a moment's thought, he spoke to the Owl:

"His progress is rapid because the method I taught him is different from the Qi Refinement. I divided the first major realm of cultivation into six minor realms of Fetal Breath. He is currently at the Fetal Breath Second Layer breathing, which is roughly equivalent to the Qi Refining Third Layer. He doesn't know the key to this, and thinks he has broken through from the Qi Refinement First Layer to the Qi Refining Third Layer. In reality, he has only broken through a minor realm of Fetal Breath, so naturally he thinks he is some kind of genius."

Upon hearing this, the Owl's two round eyes widened instantly, and its mouth gaped open.

"Heavens above! Master's Cultivation Method are so powerful? Then I'd better perform well and cling to this powerful figure!"

His eyes darted around, and he hurriedly said, "Master, there's something else. That old bastard taught me a Law Technique a couple of days ago, it seems to be for reconnaissance. He said I should practice it carefully so I can keep watch for him when we get to Gold-Bearing Mountain. I'm thinking that the old guy probably wants to take advantage of the chaos to steal something, so Master, you must be extra careful and not let that old bastard take advantage of the situation."

Since the remnant soul within Ye Xiufan said "when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits," the other party must be planning to take advantage of the three-way battle to seize the treasure.

If he were to follow Ye Xiufan directly, with that remnant soul present, any slight movement would likely be detected.

So he needed a way, a way to turn the Owl into bait.

He pondered for a moment, then flipped his palm and took out a set of Mnemonic.

"It's alright, it's all under my control. Since he taught you reconnaissance techniques, I will also teach you a breathing Mnemonic. After activating this incantation, it will increase your cultivation speed by ten percent, but it will also subtly stir the spiritual energy around you. This change is difficult for others to detect, but it cannot escape my Divine Sense. When the time comes, I only need to follow this anomaly to find your location."

The Owl's eyes lit up immediately, and it nodded its little head incessantly, like it was pounding garlic.

"Brilliant! Master is truly brilliant! That old codger never dreamed that his hidden trap would become Master's guiding light!"

It was even more pleased with itself; this double-dealing was truly lucrative, as it received benefits from both sides.

However, it also understood that its good days were coming to an end, and that the old man would definitely be in deep trouble when his master closed the net.

"Thank you for the reward, Master!"

The Owl thanked the Mnemonic with a delighted expression, memorized it, and returned to the treetop to continue its double-dealing business.

Li Zhengjun watched it disappear into the shadows of the trees, the smile on his face slowly faded. He then led Li Huchan and Li Dongsheng into the courtyard.

Before he even entered the main hall to meet the Sun Household, he saw a man lurking suspiciously at the door.

He had already locked onto this person with his Divine Sense, but he didn't reveal it, just waiting for the other person to run into him on their own.

Upon seeing him appear, the man immediately broke into a broad smile and lowered his voice, saying:

"Judging from your imposing presence and dignified bearing, could it be Patriarch Li Household in person?"

Li Zhengjun narrowed his eyes slightly and said calmly, "What brings you here, fellow Daoist?"

The man looked around and whispered, "Master Li Household, may I speak to you in private?"

After a moment's thought, Li Zhengjun led the man to a nearby house.

Li Huchan and Li Dongsheng stood guard at the gate, one on the left and one on the right, like two door gods.

Inside the room, Li Zhengjun sat calmly in the main seat, while the other man refused to sit down and stood respectfully to the side.

This person had a full, round face and plump cheeks. His Qi Refinement Seventh Layer of Qi Refining. He was not an ordinary Rogue Cultivator, but rather seemed to be the head of some nearby Lineage.

He didn't beat around the bush, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and got straight to the point:

"Patriarch Li Household, I've been waiting for you. I am Yang Lei, from the Southern Yang lineage of East Cliff Island. I've come to pay my respects today because I have a good matter to offer Li Household."