Chapter 92

Three days later, Song Yun and Yu Yao of the Kunlun Hook and Sickle Sect arrived at the Immortal Cloud Peak's Changying Pavilion.

The direct lineage of Kunlun was divided into five sects: the Sword Control Sect, the Five Elements Sect, the Poison Sword Sect, the Hook and Sickle Sect, and the Flying Feather Sect. Xi Huzi came from the Flying Feather Sect and had met Song Yun of the Hook and Sickle Sect a few times, though that was many years ago.

Song Yun was slender and beautiful, with bright eyes and a charming demeanor. At first glance, she looked only fifteen or sixteen years old, but upon closer inspection, she was actually around thirty, her youth still not faded. She did not look down on the collateral branches because of her direct lineage, and she politely greeted Xi Huzi, engaging in pleasant conversation.

Yu Yao stood behind Song Yun, silent. She was extremely tall, with a straight back, standing out like a crane among chickens. Wei Shizhong momentarily felt as if he were seeing a supermodel from his past life. He estimated that Yu Yao was only half a head shorter than him, and if she wore high heels, he would look even shorter in comparison.

Everyone's attention was drawn to Yu Yao, but they instinctively avoided her gaze. The only one who met her eyes squarely was Wei Shizhong.

Her hair was very dark, her eyebrows thicker than those of ordinary women, her nose straight, and her eyes clear and bright like stars. Her lips were tightly pressed together, giving an overly strong impression, lacking the gentleness of a woman. She was like a sharp sword, not needing care or pity.

Yu Yao lifted her eyes, meeting his gaze. Wei Shizhong did not look away, quietly staring at her until she lowered her eyelids.

Song Yun noticed their interaction and thought to herself, "These two are quite a match in appearance. There aren't many men taller than Yu Yao."

After exchanging a few words, Xi Huzi introduced them to Deng Yuantong and others, asking when they would head to the Miasma Leaf Forest. Song Yun did not wish to stay in Immortal Capital for long and suggested they set off immediately. Xi Huzi did not object. Yu Yao standing in front of him made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Xu, Xin, and Wei could not control swords, and Deng Yuantong had not learned the "Sword in the Universe" technique, so he could not carry the three. He had borrowed a Cloud Tethering Cart from the Penglai Hall in advance. Although its flying speed could not match sword control, it could carry more people and was stable and reliable.

The flying cart was more comfortable than sword control. Song Yun did not act pretentiously, leading Yu Yao into the Cloud Tethering Cart, which Deng Yuantong operated to head to the northwest border army's base.

Inside the Cloud Tethering Cart, there were five people, three men and two women, looking at each other awkwardly. Wei Shizhong closed his eyes to rest, catching a faint scent of women. Song Yun was elegant, and Yu Yao was cool. He could distinguish the subtle differences. Xin Laoyao stared at his toes expressionlessly, as if trying to see a flower. Xu Li's gaze was uncertain, wanting to look but not daring to, losing his usual bandit air. Song Yun couldn't help but laugh, gently pushing Yu Yao, as if to say, "Look, it's all your fault!"

Yu Yao smiled slightly, her heroic aura softening, revealing a touch of feminine gentleness.

Song Yun knew the backgrounds of Xu and Xin. Xu Li was the youngest son of General Xu Changsheng, and Xin Laoyao was originally Xu Changsheng's personal guard, who had joined Immortal Capital to take care of the young master, considering himself a long-term attendant. Deng Yuantong was their teacher. For this trip to deal with the northwest border army, these three were enough. Why did Wei Shizhong join in? Xi Huzi said Wei Shizhong was the only disciple of Xun Ye, the head disciple of Immortal Capital. Song Yun had heard of this head disciple, who had not even broken through the sword control stage after years of cultivation, far behind Deng Yuantong. Did this disciple have some special background?

Song Yun was always cautious, considering failure before success. Even for a small matter like Xi Huzi adding one more person, she needed to understand the details. She coughed, lightly kicking Wei Shizhong and asked, "Are you Xun Brother's disciple?"

Wei Shizhong opened his eyes and nodded, "Yes. I come from a hunter family on Old Crow Ridge and was fortunate to be accepted as a disciple by Master Xun."

"Didn't I see your master at Changying Pavilion earlier?"

"Please forgive me, Uncle. Master is in seclusion at Eagle Beak Rock and dare not disturb him."

"In seclusion? What kind of seclusion?"

"The life and death seclusion."

Song Yun was somewhat surprised. A thought flashed through her mind: Xun Ye must have been deeply affected by something. Once in life and death seclusion, it could take twenty or thirty years to emerge. Most sword cultivators who entered life and death seclusion ended up dead, with few surviving. She found it increasingly interesting and continued to press, "Your master is in life and death seclusion. What about you?"

"The sect leader ordered me to follow Uncle Wei for cultivation."

"Wei Rongniang, I see... What stage have you reached in your cultivation? Sword seed? Sword control?"

"My talent is mediocre, and I have only just broken through the Dao embryo stage."

Song Yun deliberately frowned, "Just broken through the Dao embryo stage, you should be consolidating your cultivation and refining your sword seed. Why are you coming along to join in the fun?" She perfectly captured the tone of an elder, giving pressure without being overly harsh.

Yu Yao couldn't help but look at her. In her impression, her uncle rarely put on an elder's airs to lecture juniors. Why was she so aggressive this time? Wei Shizhong, after all, was a disciple of the collateral branch of Kunlun, unrelated to the Hook and Sickle Sect.

Wei Shizhong caught the surprise on her face and, without much thought, said, "I encountered a bottleneck in my cultivation. The sect leader ordered me to go down the mountain to seek opportunities for breakthrough."

Song Yun seized on the inconsistency in his statement, "Didn't you just break through the Dao embryo stage? What bottleneck?"

"The cultivation technique I practice is somewhat special..."

"Not the 'Great Unity Foundation Building Scripture'? What technique is it?" Song Yun pressed, not giving him time to think.

Wei Shizhong hesitated. Deng Yuantong knew his background and might have mentioned it to his two disciples. But if he directly said the Moon Howling Technique, it would certainly raise Yu Yao's suspicions. He was in a dilemma.

"What? Can't you say?"

Wei Shizhong reluctantly said, "Uncle, Master passed down the 'Harmony Qi Profound Scripture' to me..."

The "Harmony Qi Profound Scripture"? Xu Li and Xin Laoyao both looked up at him, clearly hearing about this technique for the first time.

Song Yun was well-versed. Hearing "Harmony Qi Profound Scripture," she immediately understood. This made sense. The talk about going down the mountain to seek breakthroughs was just an excuse. His real goal was to hunt monsters and obtain monster cores. However, cultivating the "Harmony Qi Profound Scripture" to refine monster cores and absorb essence, while progressing quickly in the early stages, went against Kunlun's principles. Xun Ye, with his limited knowledge, actually pushed his disciple onto a dangerous path...

Her thoughts wandered, overlooking a key detail: the "Harmony Qi Profound Scripture" was only an auxiliary technique for absorbing essence and could not form a Dao embryo. Wei Shizhong had never admitted that he practiced the "Great Unity Foundation Building Scripture."

Wei Shizhong secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had managed to get away with it. He hadn't lied, just misled Song Yun. He didn't know when she would realize the truth, but he would deal with it when the time came. He couldn't help but glance at Yu Yao, who was looking down in thought, as if she had noticed something. His heart tightened.

Fortunately, she remained quiet throughout, saying nothing.