Chapter 498: Senior Brother, Gotcha
The willow forest was dark, with no light visible. A black-robed cultivator wearing a ghost mask led the way with a lantern, winding through the willow trees with Ye Anping and two others. Three Nascent Soul cultivators followed behind, their hands resting on the hilts of the long sabers at their waists, watching their every move.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, the soil underfoot turned into a stone-paved path. Spirit Stone Lanterns stood on both sides, leading to a seven-story Tian Ge pavilion about a hundred feet high at the end.
“Please make yourselves at home. The Palace Master will be here shortly.”
“Thank you for your trouble.”
After watching the black-robed cultivator transform into black mist and leave, Ye Anping pushed open the pavilion door and entered the hall with Feng Yu Die and Gu Ming Xin.
The first floor hall was sparsely furnished with scattered porcelain. The most striking feature was a shrine-like setup in the center, with three incense burners on a red sandalwood table, offering a pitch-black Spirit Sword.
Ye Anping scanned the surroundings. The furnishings within the Cui Xin Palace were exactly as he remembered.
However, the way Feng Yu Die and Mo Chi Ling first met was completely different from the game. The biggest difference, however, was Gu Ming Xin. Although Mo Chi Ling was a demonic cultivator, after the Eastern Domain chapter of the game, she sided with Feng Yu Die, helping her and Xiao Yunluo advance eastward. Gu Ming Xin, on the other hand, remained loyal to the Tian Mo Sect and relentlessly pursued Feng Yu Die.
Ye Anping glanced back at the two girls looking around, then walked to the shrine himself to examine the black Spirit Sword being offered. This was the Spirit Sword of Mo Chi Ling’s elder brother, Mo Ming. Mo Ming was the reason Mo Chi Ling resented Yu Yan and her only hope of escaping the Tian Mo Sect alive. It could be said that Mo Ming’s death made Mo Chi Ling see through “Yu Yan’s” true colors. Both Mo Chi Ling and the current Gu Ming Xin were merely high-level cauldrons to “Yu Yan.”
As Ye Anping was thinking about Mo Chi Ling, a gentle breeze suddenly blew in from the window, rustling his sleeves. Then, a slightly hoarse female voice reached his ears:
“Young Master Ye, are you interested in this sword?”
Mo Chi Ling appeared as if she had materialized out of thin air behind Ye Anping, startling Xiao Tian, who was perched on his shoulder, making her tuft of hair stand on end.
“Huh?!”
However, Ye Anping had anticipated this. His expression remained as usual, and without turning around, he calmly replied, “Even if I were interested, I wouldn’t dare to ask Palace Master Mo for it.”
“…”
Seeing Ye Anping’s calm reaction, Mo Chi Ling’s curiosity grew within her bandaged eyes. Her Hidden Spirit Divine Ability had even deceived Yu Yan, a Void Realm cultivator. Anyone would be startled if someone suddenly appeared behind them and spoke unexpectedly, right? Even Gu Ming Xin had turned pale and jumped half a foot when she was touched from behind for the first time, immediately drawing her sword to attack her. Why was this person so calm, not even his aura disturbed…
Ye Anping shook his head slightly and calmly turned around. He looked down at Mo Chi Ling, who was now in a wheelchair, and said, “I apologize for disappointing Palace Master Mo.”
Mo Chi Ling paused, staring at Ye Anping’s face for a moment before tilting her head and asking, “Could it be that Young Master Ye can read minds?”
“Palace Master Mo is joking.”
Ye Anping smiled, glanced at the Spirit Sword in the shrine again, and after some thought, praised directly, “This Spirit Sword of Grand Tutor Mo can be considered a divine object.”
“…”
Mo Chi Ling’s heart tightened upon hearing this. She hadn’t written anything on her brother’s sword, nor were there any spirit tablets in the shrine. Very few people knew about her brother’s affairs. Who was this person before her…?
“… Young Master Ye has traveled far. We have simple tea and food. Please be seated.”
“Thank you.”
Gurgle, gurgle…
Mo Chi Ling, pushing the wheels of her wheelchair, turned and led Ye Anping towards a tea table in a corner of the hall. After he was seated, she personally lifted the teapot and poured him a cup. Watching Ye Anping naturally and without hesitation take a sip of the tea she had poured, she asked with some confusion, “Aren’t you afraid I’d poison the tea, Young Master Ye?”
Ye Anping swallowed the tea and replied calmly, “Does Palace Master Mo have any reason to poison me?”
“I’m a demonic cultivator, and you’re an immortal cultivator. Isn’t that reason enough?” Mo Chi Ling pouted slightly and raised her hand. “You are in the Eastern Domain, and this is our first meeting. You should be cautious, not drink the tea I pour without thinking.”
Ye Anping shrugged slightly and put down his teacup. “Let’s just say I was mistaken.”
“…”
This person…
Twice her probes had failed, and Mo Chi Ling felt aggrieved. However, she now understood completely. Perhaps in the eyes of this handsome young man, she was already completely exposed, her every secret laid bare.
Ye Anping smiled. “Palace Master Mo, how about we be straightforward? I don’t like beating around the bush.”
“Being straightforward…” Mo Chi Ling leaned forward, propping up her chin with her hand, a hint of displeasure on her face. “Young Master Ye, you’ve seen right through me, but I know nothing about you… I’m a bit uncomfortable.”
?
Ye Anping paused and said, “Then please accept my apologies. Let’s dispense with the pleasantries. I am here for a transaction. I hope Palace Master Mo can deliver the information about demonic cultivators to Young Master Xiao of the Xuan Xing Sect, who is currently in Donghuang, and Young Master Yun of the Moon Shadow Sword Sect, who is at Seven Star Pass.”
“… What if I refuse?”
“Then…”
Mo Chi Ling looked at Ye Anping’s unfathomable expression, and a hint of hostility suddenly appeared in her eyes as she interrupted, “Are you going to tell the Tian Mo Sect that I’m still alive, or hand me over to Yu Yan directly?”
“… It seems Palace Master Mo still misunderstands me.”
Mo Chi Ling’s voice became serious. “To be held by the scruff of the neck by someone I’ve just met… You might know everything about me, but I know nothing about you.”
“…”
“The young master of an unknown small immortal sect suddenly rises to prominence. Do you think I would trust you without knowing anything?”
Mo Chi Ling stopped speaking and lightly tapped the tea table with her knuckles.
Tap, tap—
With two taps, several black figures darted in from the window, completely blocking the entrances and exits of the hall.
Feng Yu Die, standing in the center of the hall, reacted immediately, quickly drawing her Spirit Sword and flashing behind Ye Anping to guard his back.
“Young Master Ye…”
Gu Ming Xin’s crimson eyes scanned the dozen or so black-robed cultivators, a hint of vigilance appearing on her face. However, seeing Ye Anping’s lack of reaction, she did not draw her Spirit Sword.
Ye Anping calmly scanned the surroundings and smiled. “Palace Master Mo, please drop these theatrics. You should know deep down that since I dared to come here to meet you in person, I have the full confidence to leave this place. With the formation of Cui Xin Palace and your subordinates, you cannot keep me.”
“…”
Mo Chi Ling heard this, glanced at Feng Yu Die’s silver hair behind Ye Anping, and sighed silently, as if admitting defeat. She tapped the tea table again.
In an instant, the black-robed cultivators who had entered the hall from the window sheathed their swords and nodded, turning into black mist and retreating from the pavilion.
“Young Master Ye… If you need my help, couldn’t you be a little more sincere? You talked about being straightforward. I was straightforward with you, but what about you?”
“Palace Master Mo, you are a demonic cultivator, and I am an immortal cultivator. We don’t need to trust each other. We are merely cooperating because we have the same goal. Once we reach our destination, it will be best to part ways.”
“Hoo—”
Mo Chi Ling let out a long sigh and looked at Ye Anping’s unchanged expression. She suddenly felt a little afraid, vaguely sensing that she was completely in his grasp, unable to fathom his thoughts. However, amidst her fear, there was also a sense of relief. Her goal was to kill Yu Yan, the Sect Master of the Tian Mo Sect, who was in the Void Returning Realm. And in just a few words, Ye Anping had shown her his depth and composure. Cooperating with such a person was much easier than cooperating with any sort of ghost or demon.
“I concede,” Mo Chi Ling shook her head slightly and asked, “Young Master Ye, what are your odds of killing Yu Yan’s Void Spirit this time?”
Ye Anping shrugged and smiled. “If Palace Master Mo is worried that I might fail and put you in danger, there’s no need to. If I fail, Palace Master Mo will simply have to wait a few hundred years for the next opportunity.”
“…”
“I only have one request. I only need you to deliver the information about demonic cultivators to the Xuan Xing Sect and the Moon Shadow Sword Sect using my name. If my memory serves me correctly, you have placed informants in all the sects in the Eastern Domain for the past few hundred years…”
Mo Chi Ling puffed out her cheeks and complained, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll give you fake news or help the demonic cultivators set a trap?”
“For a demonic cultivator like you, the Eastern Domain is not important. You have always only had one goal – to send your foster father off. The current situation is also a rare opportunity for you. Would you act impulsively and let go of this opportunity you’ve waited hundreds of years for?”
Hearing this, Mo Chi Ling felt like burying her face on the table. She was completely seen through by Ye Anping and asked with a hint of self-abandonment, “Young Master Ye…”
“Hmm?”
“What color are my underpants?”
Ye Anping recalled for a moment and calmly replied, “Black loincloth.”
Upon hearing this, Mo Chi Ling was completely stunned. Feng Yu Die, standing behind Ye Anping, and Xue E on his left shoulder and Xiao Tian on his right, were all dumbfounded, with large question marks floating above their heads.
?
『?』
「?」
After a long pause, Mo Chi Ling finally shrunk her neck and asked, “Young Master Ye, you can even find that out?”
Ye Anping feigned surprise and smiled, “Could it be that I guessed correctly?”
“…”
Mo Chi Ling didn’t believe it. Who would guess “black loincloth”? But she understood. Ye Anping’s implication was probably, “Stop struggling. You’re completely in my control. I can even guess what your underpants look like…”
“Alas… Young Master Ye, are you the rumored master of the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao?”
“Palace Master Mo is joking. The Heavenly Scroll of the Dao wouldn’t record what pants you’re wearing today.”
“…”
Mo Chi Ling was somewhat resigned. She thought she had a certain mystique and, as the Palace Master of Cui Xin Palace, had always been admired and respected by her subordinates, exuding authority. Yet, before Ye Anping, she had completely lost face. This person… was so annoying. But, whatever…
Mo Chi Ling let out a long sigh and said, “I only need to send the information about demonic cultivators to the Xuan Xing Sect and the Moon Shadow Sword Sect, right?”
“Yes,” Ye Anping nodded and took out the seal of the Young Master of the Hundred Lotus Sect from his Storage Bag, handing it over. “Use this seal to send it. Young Master Xiao and Young Master Yun will not doubt the source of the intelligence upon seeing the seal.”
“Young Master Xiao and Young Master Yun… are they your confidantes?”
Ye Anping shrugged slightly and decided to tell the truth. “Fiancées.”
“… All of them?”
“Isn’t that quite normal?”
“…”
Mo Chi Ling twitched her lips, sighed again, and simply closed her mouth, tucking Ye Anping’s seal into her sleeve. Seeing that she had accepted it, Ye Anping stood up and said, “Then I shall not disturb Palace Master Mo’s peace. I bid farewell.”
However, after standing up, he suddenly remembered Shen Xin’s Spirit Sword, Mo Demon, and paused before speaking again. “By the way, does Palace Master Mo know of ‘Mo Demon’?”
“Immortal Swordsman Shen’s Spirit Sword? Why is Young Master Ye asking about this?”
“Just asking casually. Do you know who currently possesses that Spirit Sword?”
Mo Chi Ling idly brushed a strand of hair from her ear and recalled, “I’ve heard of it. About ten years ago, a rogue demonic cultivator obtained it and caused quite a stir among demonic cultivators. That person was quite lucky and encountered many opportunities. Later, he was taken in as an adopted son by the City Lord of Tian Bei City and is now in Tian Bei City.”
Ye Anping lowered his eyes in thought for a moment, then asked, “His name?”
“His surname is Gong, given name Yimo.”
Gong Yimo…
Ye Anping searched his memory but had never heard of this person. He then turned and gestured to Xiao Tian with his eyes. Xiao Tian understood and quickly took out the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao from her Storage Bag to flip through it, but then shook her head.
『Anping, the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao doesn’t have it…』
Xue E also shook her head. “「I haven’t heard of him either.」”
“Hmm… Thank you.”
Ye Anping nodded to Mo Chi Ling and then led Feng Yu Die and Gu Ming Xin out of the pavilion, pondering in his mind. He had actually tried to find information before. The character played by players in the game, the so-called amnesiac immortal, had disappeared for over ten years without a trace. Moreover, if such a person existed, Martial Uncle Xuan Ji’s Star Prognostication Art should have detected it. However, if this so-called immortal had fallen among the demonic cultivators of the Eastern Domain, then Xuan Ji’s inability to see his fate star would make sense.
Ye Anping couldn’t help but feel a bit wary. He worried if that person might be like him, but upon further thought, he dismissed the idea. If there were a second person like him, they would have appeared before him long ago, and there wouldn’t be such silence even now. However, whether or not that person was the so-called immortal was another matter entirely.
“Tian Bei City…”
Ye Anping murmured, preparing to take out the map to check, but before he could, Xue E spoke up.
「North of Seven Star Pass…」
Xiao Tian quickly took out the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao and added.
『About two thousand three hundred li away, with six rich Spirit Stone mines in the vicinity.』
“Hmm…”
… …
