The Mission

Qin Sang knew that Yunyouzi was merely being polite. Even without encountering Yunyouzi, he could have broken free of the cloud beasts' encirclement on his own, though at a greater cost than merely losing a black shield magic tool. He was certain the same held true for Yunyouzi. "Senior, you traveled west for half a year—surely you've returned loaded with gains? Has the trouble with your body been resolved?" Qin Sang asked casually while reinforcing the shelter's restrictions. In truth, Qin Sang had already guessed the answer. Compared to half a year ago, Yunyouzi's aura showed no noticeable change, so the outcome was likely not very promising. Yunyouzi rose to help as well, letting out a series of wry smiles at the question. "Half a year wasted in vain. Fortunately, this old Daoist hadn't held much hope to begin with... Still, it wasn't an entirely futile trip; I did manage to gain some ambiguous tidbits of information..." As he spoke, Yunyouzi glanced at Qin Sang, hesitating as if wanting to say something. After a moment of contemplation, he changed the subject and asked, "Is Brother Qin training here, or were you merely passing through? Do you happen to know the exact location of the nearby Tianjing Secret Realm?" "Tianjing Secret Realm?" Qin Sang was surprised. "Senior is headed there? What a coincidence—my cave dwelling is located right inside the Tianjing Secret Realm." Yunyouzi was delighted. "Such a coincidence?" Remembering Qin Sang's background, he realized, "No wonder I ran into you out there. Brother Qin, could you be a guard of the Tianjing Secret Realm?" Qin Sang shook his head. "I am a member of the Shadow Guard. Placing my cave dwelling in the Tianjing Secret Realm was merely to have a resting spot while training nearby; I'm not a guard of the realm. However, since I cultivate within it, I certainly wouldn't stand idly by if the Tianjing Secret Realm were ever attacked. The true guard of the secret realm is Senior Brother Teng Nan of Shangyuan Qingjing Palace. I was just about to return to my cave dwelling anyway, so once this celestial phenomenon ends, you can simply come along with me. Entering the secret realm will just require Senior Brother Teng Nan's approval. Of course, coming from the Taiyi Dan Sect, so long as you have a legitimate reason, Senior Brother Teng Nan will certainly not make things difficult for you." Among the three great sects, the existence of the Shadow Guard was no secret; strict confidentiality was required only during the execution of missions. There was no need for Qin Sang to hide his Shadow Guard identity from Yunyouzi. "To be frank, this old Daoist has also joined the Shadow Guard. This time, I received a message from my sect assigning me a mission, ordering me to rendezvous with others at the Tianjing Secret Realm. Who could have foreseen that a sudden celestial phenomenon would strike midway? Unfamiliar with the terrain, I plunged headlong into a pocket of the cloud beast swarm. By the time I realized it, I was already encircled. That was when I encountered Brother Qin." Yunyouzi's tone held a touch of gloom, feeling utterly helpless at such an unexpected disaster. Qin Sang understood. The terrain of the mountain where the cloud beasts nested was quite peculiar: several high peaks crowded together at the center formed their lair, where the vast majority of the beasts dwelled. Two mountain ranges branched out from there, extending far into the distance to form an acute angle, within which large numbers of cloud beasts also lay in wait. Someone unfamiliar with the lay of the land, rushing onward without careful observation, would easily stumble deep into the heart of the cloud beasts' territory just as Yunyouzi had. Once alerted, the beasts would swarm in layered encirclements, making escape exceedingly difficult. As for what Yunyouzi's mission entailed, Qin Sang did not pry. Prying into Shadow Guard missions was a severe taboo and brought him no benefit whatsoever. Having agreed to return to the Tianjing Secret Realm together once the celestial phenomenon passed, the two resumed chatting. The more they talked, the more congenial they found each other, speaking most often of the Great Sui and Daoist Priest Jixin. Yunyouzi had grown up in the Great Sui, departing only when he was over seventy years old. Qin Sang, too, had spent his first few years in this world within the Great Sui, leaving deep impressions on his memory. To Yunyouzi, however, the Great Sui of his memories was already a thing of the past, and his impression of Daoist Priest Jixin remained frozen decades prior. Mostly listening to Qin Sang speak, a look of reminiscence surfaced on his face. Later in their conversation, Qin Sang exchanged cultivation insights with Yunyouzi. Yunyouzi possessed many unique perspectives, from which Qin Sang benefited greatly. "There is a disciple of the Taiyi Dan Sect in the Tianjing Secret Realm named Jiang Ying. Does Senior know her?" Yunyouzi pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't know her. After breaking through to Foundation Establishment, this old Daoist left the sect to wander far and wide without a fixed abode, living more like a rogue cultivator and rarely keeping close ties with fellow disciples." Qin Sang thought to himself that he was much the same. With poor talent and no backer within the sect, he had to rely entirely on himself in cultivation. Aside from having access to the sect's public resources, he was hardly any different from a rogue cultivator. Of course, those resources were something rogue cultivators could only dream of, and Qin Sang was not ungrateful for them. Suppressing the sentiment, Qin Sang smiled and said, "Jiang Ying happens to be an admirer of yours, Senior. She told me that not only did you achieve Foundation Establishment at the unprecedented age of a hundred, but your attainments in the Dao of Alchemy also comfortably surpass your peers. She holds you in utmost esteem and always regretted never having the chance to meet you. Now, her wish can finally come true..." Yunyouzi burst into laughter. "I'd like to see which little girl is flattering this old Daoist to death! In the craft of alchemy, I do have a bit of confidence, but the alchemical geniuses of the Taiyi Dan Sect are as numerous as the stars. I would never dare claim to comfortably surpass my peers. It's just playful talk—Brother Qin, don't take it to heart." Yunyouzi appeared modest, but Qin Sang detected a hint of pride in his tone. Evidently, Yunyouzi's attainments in alchemy were truly extraordinary; only that could account for such confidence, proving it was not mere flattery on Jiang Ying's part. Qin Sang's eyes flickered. His foundation was flawed; while the impact was negligible for now, he was bound to suffer for it as his cultivation advanced. Sooner or later, repairing his foundation was an unavoidable necessity. He had already tried ordinary pills, and they were completely useless. He estimated that he would need spirit medicines of the caliber of the Heyun Pill, the Five Ganoderma Divine Paste, and the Snow Ginseng Jade Life Pill at the very least. It might even require pills of an even rarer grade to take effect on him. Yet even those three spirit medicines were far from easy to obtain. The high price could be managed by working hard to earn spirit stones; the most daunting part was their extreme rarity. The Taiyi Elixir Pavilion only released a single pill once every dozen or several dozen years, sparking fierce competition among countless contenders. Pills rarer than those three were entirely out of the question—they could not be bought even with a mountain of spirit stones. Compared to acquiring fully refined pills, gathering the spirit herbs required for the pill formulas might prove somewhat easier. In the world of cultivation, pill formulas were not hard to find; the real difficulty lay in gathering the required herbs and finding a dependable master alchemist. Ever since learning of Yunyouzi's remarkable gift for alchemy from Jiang Ying, Qin Sang had harbored this idea. If Yunyouzi truly was a master alchemist, cultivating a good rapport with him now might allow Qin Sang to request his aid in the future. Naturally, Qin Sang would not skimp on proper compensation. Even so, Qin Sang did not rashly reveal his intentions. Between him and Yunyouzi, beyond the bond originating from Daoist Priest Jixin, they now shared an experience of facing adversity together, but he still did not understand Yunyouzi well enough. Although someone capable of raising a kind-hearted soul like Daoist Priest Jixin should possess a decent character, times and circumstances change—who could guarantee that a person's heart remained untainted? In any case, Qin Sang was in no hurry. There would be plenty of opportunities to get to know him better in the days ahead.