Chapter 1371: A Secret Discussion

Li Yan said no more. He had already told the other party of all the potential outcomes, lest there be problems with the cultivation level—the thing cultivators cared about most—and they came to settle scores with him later.

He immediately began to form hand seals and cast his art. Of course, this was all just for show. Even without the gestures, he could have simply activated his Fragmented Poison Body.

An incense stick’s time later, when a sweat-drenched Li Yan stood up, the purple-robed elder’s complexion on the bed had turned a bloodless, deathly pale, but the aura of decay and death had vanished.

What excited the old woman and Donglin Tingyue even more was that the purple-robed elder had actually awakened as his aura gradually strengthened!

Though he was extremely weak, it was true that after several years, the Supreme Grand Elder of the Donglin Clan had opened his eyes for the first time.

At the same time, Li Yan told them something that made even the old woman’s expression turn to one of excitement: the residual poison on the elder’s Nascent Soul had been cleared away rather cleanly.

This was likely due to the high-grade healing pills the Donglin Family had been using over the years. As a result, the residual poison on the purple-robed elder’s Nascent Soul had been kept just beneath its surface and had not managed to fully permeate its entirety.

This meant that the purple-robed elder’s cultivation was preserved at the Late-stage Nascent Soul Realm. However, given his current state, his realm was still extremely unstable.

Therefore, after he awakened and recovered slightly, he would still need to enter seclusion as soon as possible to circulate his cultivation method and heal himself.

This news brought a glimmer to both of their eyes. Even the large black dog stood up, walked to the bedside, and watched the purple-robed elder with a brilliant light flowing in its eyes.

Although the purple-robed elder was awake, his mind was still in a daze from the long coma. He stared blankly at the ceiling, showing little reaction to the people standing beside him.

Seeing this, Li Yan immediately rose and took his leave.

The old woman personally saw him out of the thatched cottage. Donglin Tingyue then escorted Li Yan all the way back to his residential courtyard.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, Donglin Tingyue immediately handed the two small bottles of silver sand to Li Yan.

After accepting them, Li Yan told Donglin Tingyue that due to his great expenditure of energy, he might need to impose on the Donglin Family for a few more days to recover before leaving.

He also added that if anything came up on their end, she should feel free to come and find him.

Upon hearing Li Yan’s words, Donglin Tingyue gave him a deep look with her captivatingly beautiful eyes before finally giving a curtsy and departing gracefully.

She was an exceptionally intelligent woman and understood the meaning behind Li Yan’s words.

First, the Supreme Grand Elder had just woken up, and it was still too early to determine if the treatment was a true success. It wouldn’t be appropriate for Li Yan to leave at this moment.

Second, if Li Yan were to insist on leaving immediately, even if the old woman and Donglin Tingyue believed the treatment was successful, what would they do if the residual poison in the Supreme Grand Elder’s body resurfaced?

They would likely find other reasons to persuade Li Yan to stay for a few more days. However, if Li Yan insisted on leaving, the Donglin Family would be powerless to stop him.

After all, the man was awake, and they were free to inspect the Supreme Grand Elder’s injuries as they pleased. The result was even better than what had been agreed upon, so they had no grounds to forcibly detain him.

For Li Yan to take the initiative to stay was an entirely different matter. The Donglin Family would owe him yet another favor for this.

Li Yan immediately closed the courtyard gate. He took out the silver sand Donglin Tingyue had given him, confirmed its contents once more, and then put it away without further study.

He then sat cross-legged and began to meditate. The so-called exhaustion was merely an act.

However, when he was clearing the poison from the elder’s Nascent Soul, Li Yan had been genuinely cautious. He didn’t want to mess up and make things worse.

It was just that his current Fragmented Poison Body was too powerful. Back in the market, Li Yan had already been fairly certain he could use poison to fight poison. Furthermore, he didn’t need to know what kind of poison the other party had been afflicted with, or where it came from.

Of course, the Fragmented Poison Body was not omnipotent. Li Yan had only dared to use it after testing it beforehand.

Under his control, the fragmented poison had madly pounced on the other toxins the moment it saw them, saving Li Yan a great deal of effort.

The potent poison was quickly devoured. The poison in the purple-robed elder’s body was also quite formidable, managing to constantly regenerate even without a source.

However, its rate of regeneration was no match for the speed at which the Fragmented Poison Body devoured it.

And, just as Li Yan expected, after devouring this unknown poison that could cause a Nascent Soul cultivator to perish, the Fragmented Poison Body became exceptionally active. Li Yan, of course, knew what this signified…

He meditated for ten days straight. On this day, Li Yan, who was in meditation, suddenly raised his head.

“Fellow Daoist Li, is it convenient to speak?”

At the same moment Li Yan looked up, a clear voice came from outside. It was Donglin Tingyue. Li Yan knew that he should be able to leave this place now.

Soon, both of them appeared in the courtyard. But the first thing Donglin Tingyue said after seeing Li Yan made him pause in surprise.

“Fellow Daoist Li, first, thank you for your help. The Grand Elder would like to meet with you before you leave. I wonder if that would be convenient?”

“Oh? The Grand Elder wants to see me? Is there something he needs? And how is his recovery?”

Li Yan felt that the elder shouldn’t have recovered so quickly. Could the Donglin Clan possess some kind of saintly pill for consolidating one’s foundation? It had only been ten short days, yet the man was already able to receive visitors.

“Oh, the Grand Elder has only managed to barely stabilize his realm. But he knows that you will likely be leaving in the coming days, so he wishes to meet with you regardless.”

“As for what it’s about, this junior is actually not sure either!”

Donglin Tingyue shook her head, a hint of curiosity in her own heart.

This made Li Yan even more puzzled. He had saved the man, but it was just a transaction. It didn’t seem worthy of the elder dragging his injured body to see him while his realm was still unstable.

After a moment of contemplation, he agreed.

For now, his relationship with the Donglin Family was quite amicable. Besides, Shangguan Tianque had once said that the Broken Army Sect and the Donglin Family had always been on good terms, so there shouldn’t be any unexpected trouble.

Especially now, after his last fight with Liu Huaigu and the others, Li Yan had a much clearer assessment of his own strength.

He no longer had much to fear from Nascent Soul cultivators of the same realm. Even if besieged by multiple Late-stage great cultivators, he would not be afraid.

But he would, of course, maintain his usual vigilance and caution.

…

Inside the thatched cottage in the forest, Donglin Tingyue remained outside when Li Yan stepped in. The old woman and the large black dog were also outside the cottage.

The woman and the dog, one sitting and one lying down, were like an elderly couple in their twilight years, basking in the sun against the wall.

When she saw Li Yan approach, the old woman stood up and gave a slight bow. After a few simple words with Li Yan, she sat back down again.

The large black dog also stood up this time and nodded at Li Yan, its eyes filled with gratitude. It then lay back down on the ground, quietly listening to their conversation.

Inside the cottage, the purple-robed elder was leaning against the headboard of the bed. Seeing Li Yan enter, he offered a weak smile.

“Fellow Daoist Li, please, make yourself at home!”

Li Yan looked around the room and saw that they were the only two present, which made him even more curious. Without another word, he took a seat on a chair not far from the elder and quietly observed him.

“Hehehe… This old man is Donglin Qinglei. Outside are my wife and granddaughter, and they’re my blood relatives, you know!”

Donglin Qinglei looked at Li Yan, and his opening words, after causing Li Yan to startle for a moment, also brought a knowing smile to his face.

Only then did he realize that the Donglin Family’s Second Supreme Elder was actually the Grand Elder’s Dao Companion, which explained her different surname. But for Donglin Tingyue to be his biological granddaughter was also a surprise to Li Yan.

If the elder hadn’t stressed that she was “blood-related,” he would have assumed it was just a form of address used within the Donglin Family’s bloodline.

With Donglin Qinglei’s opening remark, the originally somber atmosphere in the room seemed to lighten, as if even the Spiritual Energy had become more cheerful, putting one’s mind at ease.

“Congratulations, Fellow Daoist. Your family is full of outstanding figures!” Li Yan said, clasping his hands.

“Outstanding figures? We’re merely trying to survive in this corner of the world!” Donglin Qinglei’s voice was somewhat weak.

“I wonder why Fellow Daoist has summoned me here. What are your instructions?” Li Yan had always been a man of few words and preferred to get straight to the point.

“I have no instructions for you, Fellow Daoist. Rather, I wish to ask you some questions.”

“The matter of the two masked, red-robed individuals you encountered on your return with Tingyue—I wonder if Fellow Daoist could describe it to me in detail.”

“Their cultivation method’s characteristics, in particular, are very important to me. Therefore, I implore you to provide an answer. If you require Spirit Stones for this information, you may name your price.”

Donglin Qinglei shifted his body slightly to make himself more comfortable. His expression turned serious as he spoke to Li Yan, just as directly, without beating around the bush.

Hearing this, Li Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly. He then responded with a question of his own.

“Is this related to the people who attacked you? How can you be so sure?”

“I knew I couldn’t hide it from you. That is indeed my suspicion. The ones who attacked me were also masked, red-robed individuals. There were two of them as well, dressed identically, and their cultivation methods were ones I had never seen before!”

“I know it’s a bit abrupt to ask you about this. I could have asked Fellow Daoist Tianque later, but I heard he may be preparing for seclusion after his return.”

“So, I must trouble you with this matter, Fellow Daoist Li. This information may be of crucial importance to Fellow Daoist Tianque as well!”

“Oh? What do you mean by that?” Li Yan’s words remained concise.

Donglin Qinglei had already learned some things about Li Yan from Donglin Tingyue and the others. Seeing him now, he was just as Donglin Tingyue had described.

Li Yan was an extremely cautious person who disliked speaking more than necessary, making communication with him somewhat difficult. It seemed he would have to be more forthcoming to get the man to tell him the truth.

Soon, Donglin Qinglei recounted the story of his own ambush.

That day, as he was rushing back to the clan from the Heavenly Demon Prairie, he was ambushed by two masked, red-robed individuals in a remote area of the prairie.

Both were Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, their strength comparable to, or even slightly greater than, his own. With such strength, their ambush should have been a surefire success, a clear sign of their resolute intention to kill him.

Fortunately, Donglin Qinglei’s reactions were superb. The moment he stepped into their ambush circle, he realized what was happening, preventing the ambushers from launching a sudden, fatal strike.

What happened next was something the assailants had not anticipated. The moment they appeared, Donglin Qinglei didn’t bother with questions, knowing he couldn’t afford to delay even for a single breath.

Without waiting for them to attack or speak, he preemptively risked his life, his first move a strike aimed at mutual destruction.

His sudden outburst unexpectedly gave him the upper hand.

The most crucial factor, however, was that he had entered the Heavenly Demon Prairie to find a Companion Spirit Beast. To be safe, Donglin Qinglei had brought the large black dog with him in his Spirit-Storing Pouch.

This dog was Yuan Shuiyun’s Companion Spirit Beast, a rather rare Dark Blaze Demondog. Although it was at the peak of the mid-stage of the fourth rank, a demonic beast’s combat power could easily surpass its rank, and its innate divine abilities were even more terrifying.

The Donglin Family specialized in rearing Spirit Beasts. Donglin Qinglei’s own Companion Spirit Beast had suffered numerous hidden injuries from years of fighting by his side and had passed away more than a decade ago.

Since then, Donglin Qinglei hadn’t found a suitable replacement, which was why he had made that trip to the Heavenly Demon Prairie. He had received news that a rare demonic beast cub had appeared on the outskirts of the prairie.

But the Heavenly Demon Prairie was exceedingly dangerous. Even Nascent Soul cultivators were considered ordinary there, and they dared not venture too deep.

That was why he had brought along the Dark Blaze Demondog, whose combat strength was nearly equal to his own.

Perhaps the two masked, red-robed individuals had only learned that Donglin Qinglei’s Companion Spirit Beast had perished and had not expected any other surprises.

Thus, in the end, it was the sudden appearance of the Dark Blaze Demondog that allowed Donglin Qinglei to escape with his life.

However, he was still struck in the back by one of the enemy’s long-chained flying claws. Although his protective light shield absorbed most of the force, it shattered in the process, and he was afflicted with a potent poison.

Li Yan was already aware of what happened next. The Donglin Clan had taken precautions to prevent the news from leaking.

First, Yuan Shuiyun had personally taken on Donglin Qielei’s appearance to manage clan affairs. She was, of course, the most familiar with her Dao Companion’s mannerisms.

When she made occasional appearances, even clan members who were unaware of the situation couldn’t tell the difference, unless they were able to carefully inspect her cultivation.

After finishing his account, Donglin Qinglei looked even more exhausted.

“Now that I’ve told you all this, you should have no more questions about my earlier request, Fellow Daoist Li. I hope you will grant it. You may state your conditions directly.”

Though Li Yan’s expression remained unchanged, making it impossible to read his thoughts, his mind was racing.

A few possible conjectures had already surfaced in his mind. After hearing the elder finish, he finally spoke slowly.

“Fellow Daoist Donglin, are you trying to find the culprits who ambushed you?”

“That is one reason, yes. But I’m sure you have more in mind than just that, Fellow Daoist Li,” Donglin Qinglei said, looking at Li Yan.

“What you mean to say, Fellow Daoist Donglin, is that since both you and Shangguan Tianque were ambushed, there must be a connection, and you wish to deduce the true reason behind it?”

“Correct. That is what I want to know most. I imagine Shangguan Tianque wants to know as well. Why didn’t these people ambush others? Or perhaps they did, and we just don’t know about it.”

“But at the very least, among the nearby sects, it is us who have been ambushed by these masked, red-robed individuals, for reasons that are completely baffling. Therefore, I wish to obtain this information from you, Fellow Daoist, to use as a basis for my judgment!” Donglin Qinglei said slowly.

Li Yan did not answer immediately. He was still weighing certain matters in his mind.

However, Donglin Qinglei had a point. Shangguan Tianque would also want to know the reason. The faction behind those two masked, red-robed individuals they had killed—or rather, who had self-detonated—was not to be underestimated.

And Li Yan himself couldn’t leave this place anytime soon, so he didn’t want anything to happen to the Broken Army Sect either.

Although the Broken Army Sect was only a fourth-rate sect, it served as a perfect cover for his identity and a good place to gather information.

Dong Fuyi and Ping Tu had both repeatedly warned him not to expose his identity as a member of the Five Immortal Sects, especially after his ascension, as it would put him in extreme danger.

In the Immortal Spirit Realm, Li Yan’s cultivation was only enough for him to make some waves in this remote region. No matter how capable he was of killing those above his rank, he had no confidence against mid or late-stage Spirit Transformation cultivators.

“I can.”

After some thought, Li Yan agreed without stating any conditions.

He quickly gave a detailed account of the cultivation methods used by the two masked, red-robed individuals that day, but he still omitted the fact that both of them were dead.

Donglin Qinglei listened intently. After Li Yan finished, he asked a few more detailed questions before shaking his head.

“The masked, red-robed individuals you encountered were not the same pair that attacked me.”

“It seems this faction is quite large. Just from what we know, they have at least four peak Nascent Soul Realm combatants. Such a force should only be possessed by a third-rate sect or higher…” Donglin Qinglei said softly. As he spoke, his voice trailed off. Then, he suddenly switched to voice transmission.

“When you return, tell Shangguan Tianque to be wary of the Blood Lantern Sect!”

Hearing this, Li Yan’s heart jolted!