Chapter 1556: Plans Foiled
Courtyard at 57 Fuliu Lane, West City.
Song Wen recited the address of the small courtyard he had rented.
Then, he put away his Communication Jade Slip, ascended into the air, and flew toward the courtyard.
After entering the courtyard, Song Wen closed the gate and casually activated the concealment formation.
He then went inside the house, removed the human skin mask he had been using as a disguise, and replaced it with a new one, transforming himself back into the appearance of the former “Ye Hua.”
Just then, the Communication Jade Slip in his storage ring began to vibrate faintly.
Without even taking it out to check, Song Wen knew Qi Luo’s message: she had arrived at the courtyard gate.
He had already sensed her presence outside the gate, cloaked in a black cloak that concealed her voluptuous figure and stunningly beautiful face, clearly trying to avoid being recognized.
With a flicker of movement, Song Wen appeared behind the gate.
With a thought, he deactivated the formation and the restriction on the courtyard gate, causing it to swing inward automatically.
“Qi Luo, is that you?” Song Wen’s voice trembled, his eyes betraying his barely concealed eagerness.
“It’s me!”
The black-robed figure transformed into a blur, darting into Song Wen’s arms like a weary bird returning to its nest. The impact made Song Wen stagger slightly.
The hood of the cloak slipped back, revealing cascading strands of inky black hair and Qi Luo’s breathtakingly beautiful face.
Her eyes were slightly reddened, her gaze fixed intently on Song Wen’s face. Her luminous eyes shimmered with unshed tears, as if holding a thousand unspoken words.
“Qi Luo, I’ve missed you so much,” Song Wen murmured, simultaneously closing the courtyard gate with a flick of his hand and activating the concealment formation.
“Take me…” Qi Luo whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
Song Wen wrapped his arm around Qi Luo’s slender waist, and in a flash, they disappeared into the room.
Soon, intoxicating sounds filled the air.
Three days later.
Qi Luo suddenly pushed Song Wen away, rolled out of bed, and began dressing.
“What’s wrong?” Song Wen asked, still half-reclined on the bed, his desire not yet fully satisfied.
“I have to leave,” Qi Luo said, pausing slightly as she dressed. She turned to look at Song Wen, her expression a mix of reluctance and guilt. “We can’t see each other again.”
“Why?” Song Wen sat up abruptly, pulling Qi Luo into his arms, disbelief etched on his face.
“I…” Qi Luo looked up at him, hesitating before finally saying, “My master forbids me from having excessive contact with outsiders.”
Song Wen immediately understood. The “master” Qi Luo referred to must be the benefactor behind her.
“Which member of the Divine Blood Gate is your master?”
“Xuan Li.”
Song Wen’s lips twitched slightly, a flicker of astonishment in his eyes.
Having been in Blood Brilliance City for two months, he had gained some knowledge of the Divine Blood Gate’s key figures.
Xuan Li, though only ten thousand years old, had already reached the late stage of the great ascension realm.
Even within the Divine Blood Gate, renowned for its core disciples—all exceptionally talented individuals whose cultivation speed far surpassed that of ordinary people—Xuan Li stood out as an extraordinary existence.
But none of this was the reason for Song Wen’s shock.
The real reason was that Xuan Li…
was a woman.
Rumor had it that she possessed remarkable beauty and had never taken a dao companion or male concubine.
So, Xuan Li prefers women?
“Qi Luo, in the nearly two centuries since we parted, I’ve thought of you day and night. To see you again is a rare blessing. I only ask that you stay a few more days to ease the torment of my longing,” Song Wen pleaded, his face etched with sorrow and reluctance.
“I…” Qi Luo hesitated, her expression conflicted, but she ultimately hardened her resolve. “I must leave immediately. This meeting was only possible because my master is away, but she’ll be returning to the sect soon. If she finds out I’ve been with you, it could bring you harm.”
Qi Luo broke free from Song Wen’s embrace, straightened her robes, and hastily smoothed her long black hair before hurrying toward the door.
As she reached the doorway and pushed it open, Song Wen’s voice called out from behind her.
“Qi Luo, will we ever meet again?”
Qi Luo froze, her body stiffening. After a moment of silence, she replied in a low, somber tone, “It’s best we never meet again. You… forget me.”
With those words, Qi Luo leaped into the air and darted toward the courtyard gate.
“Qi Luo, from this day forward, I’ll wait for you here. Whenever you wish to see me, I’ll be ready,” Song Wen called out passionately, yet he still deactivated the concealment formation, allowing her to leave.
He couldn’t afford to provoke Xuan Li. It was best to keep a respectful distance.
Still, it was a pity he hadn’t achieved his goal of meeting Qi Luo.
If he’d known things would turn out this way, he wouldn’t have feigned such deep affection. He’d even managed to make Qi Luo seem genuinely concerned for his safety.
For the next month, Song Wen spent his time refining pills, visiting the Immortal Herb Hut, and researching various spirit herb and poison manuals. However, he found nothing that matched the poisons described in the Ten Thousand Poisons Body technique.
Though these days seemed unproductive, Song Wen didn’t consider them wasted. This was a form of cultivation—quiet meditation.
To break through to the Great Ascension Realm, one needed profound and refined spiritual power. Quiet meditation was a common method for tempering spiritual power, though its effectiveness was limited.
Qi Luo never reappeared.
Song Wen tried sending her messages, but the distance was too great, making communication impossible.
Wang Qi, on the other hand, offered nothing useful. Though still warm toward Song Wen, he clearly saw him as nothing more than a cash cow.
It seems Qi Luo is either genuinely afraid of that Xuan Li woman, or Xuan Li is so possessive of Qi Luo that she won’t let her out of her sight. Waiting for Qi Luo to reappear could take forever.
I’ll need to find another way to obtain the Sky-Blue Glazed Fruit and Taiyin Netherfire.
Song Wen’s mind swirled with thoughts.
He mentally reviewed everything he had done in the three months since arriving in Blood Brilliance City.
He realized that all his actions had been based on relying on others.
Whether it was Wang Qi, Qi Luo, or even his inquiries at the intelligence shops about clues to the Sky-Blue Glazed Fruit and Taiyin Netherfire, it was all the same.
This approach was relatively safe, minimizing the risk of conflict, but it was also highly passive.
Success or failure was entirely beyond Song Wen’s control.
“Perhaps I should devise a more proactive strategy,” Song Wen mused inwardly.
If he couldn’t find those who possessed the Sky-Blue Glazed Fruit and Taiyin Netherfire, he would make them come to him.
Previously, he had been overly cautious of the Divine Blood Gate’s immense power, refraining from any underhanded tactics and focusing solely on legitimate transactions.
Now, it seemed that without resorting to some cunning, obtaining the Sky-Blue Glazed Fruit and Taiyin Netherfire would be impossible.
As for how to lure out those who possessed these spiritual objects, Song Wen already had a plan.
For any cultivator, especially high-tier cultivators, the ultimate pursuits in life boiled down to a few things:
Higher cultivation realms, greater power, and extended longevity.
By targeting these desires, he was confident he could draw them out.
The only remaining question was which treasure, representing one of these three aspects, would serve as the most effective bait.
(End of the Chapter)