Chapter 91: Too Much Interference

"Lu Yingqi?" Zhao Dajiang immediately thought of someone. "Are you talking about Lu Yingqi, the Xuan Tian Sword Master?"

"Exactly."

"Who is Lu Yingqi, the Sword of Xuantian?" Linglong asked.

“He’s a powerful, ruthless swordsman. It’s normal that you don’t know him. He became famous ten years ago, before Sword Saint Shen even appeared.” After Zhao Dajiang finished speaking, he suddenly realized that the person who knew Shen Bingsi best seemed to be standing right next to him. “Fellow Daoist Rong definitely knows more about him than I do.”

"Yes, he hadn't yet reached the Nascent Soul stage at that time, nor had he served as the Ruthless Judge," Rong Xie recalled.

“That’s right. Xuan Tian Yi Jian is older than Chen Jian Sheng, and he participated in the Three Sects Alliance Sword Tournament earlier. He won first place in the tournament early on and earned the title of Xuan Tian Yi Jian.” Zhao Da Jiang knew the stories of these famous figures in the cultivation world like the back of his hand. “However, after becoming famous, Xuan Tian Yi Jian hardly ever appeared in public. He must have been in seclusion cultivating. Young people these days have never heard of him.”

Linglong chuckled: "Is that so? They're just young people."

“Alright, alright, I know you’re young and I’m old,” Zhao Dajiang laughed, then turned to Rong Xie and said, “Finding the Xuan Tian Sword might not be easy, but since Fellow Daoist Rong has introduced us to such a good opportunity to search for treasures, we will do our best to find this person.”

"Thank you very much then," Rong Xie said.

"If we can't invite Lu Yingqi, but have the opportunity to pass on a message to him, what would you like to say to him, Fellow Daoist?" Zhao Dajiang asked.

Rong Xie thought for a moment and said, "Just say... someone wants to talk to him about the well in Qinghe."

"The well in Qinghe?" Zhao Dajiang sensed that there might be an unusual code in this, and seeing that Rong Xie did not explain, he did not ask any further. "I'll remember it."

Linglong stood up for Zhao Dajiang from the side: "Brother Rong, don't worry, our Captain Zhao has a wide network of connections, he will definitely pass on this message."

Rong Xie smiled and said, "I trust Captain Zhao. I'll translate that treasure map of the King of Ru Nan into Mandarin and draw it out when I get back."

"Alright, alright," Zhao Dajiang said. "Fellow Daoist, take your time drawing. There's no rush. Once we've delivered the letter and completed your task, you can take the treasure map. That way, you'll feel more at ease."

The deal was settled, and the three raised their glasses in celebration, celebrating their pleasant first collaboration.

Rong Xie didn't actually have high hopes. He knew that Lu Yingqi was very difficult to find. Even people from the inner sect of Xuantian Sect might not be able to see Lu Yingqi, since he had been in seclusion for so many years.

Rong Xie had put a lot of thought into seeking help from Lu Yinglin, but after arriving at Lan Yuan, nothing came of it.

Perhaps if Rong Xie makes a little more effort and goes to Shengjing with Lu Yinglin a few more times, there is still hope of meeting Lu Yingqi.

However, Rong Xie always had a vague premonition that as long as he was involved with Lu Yinglin, he would be drawn into another kind of life, and it wouldn't be so easy to extricate himself from it then.

Rong Xie always trusted his intuition, and he didn't want to become fodder for Lu Yinglin's attempts to get close to others. Although life as an ordinary person might be rather austere and boring at first, it gave him a sense of security. Therefore, after much deliberation, Rong Xie decided to stop pursuing Lu Yinglin and instead find another way to find Lu Yingqi.

Thus, the plan to "protect Lu Yingqi" has been shelved to this day and has not been implemented.

This time, when asking Zhao Dajiang to deliver a message, Rong Xie chose the words most likely to provoke Lu Yingqi, but he wasn't sure if Lu Yingqi had already entered a higher state of ruthlessness and was free from worldly desires.

Three days later, Zhao Dajiang brought a reply. He had already asked someone to deliver the message, but Lu Yingqi was still in seclusion and it was inconvenient for him to reply. If there was anything, he could talk to his servant Xiaozhi.

“Xiaozhi? Ah, that’s the one…” Rong Xie remembered what Lu Yinglin had told him: every Lu family disciple who went to the sect to cultivate would be accompanied by a servant boy. This servant boy was the Lu family’s spy used to control the Lu family disciples.

Just like Lu Yinglin has a small branch by his side, Lu Yingqi has a small branch by his side.

However, Xiaozhi was very lucky. He followed the steady and reliable Lu Yingqi, not the reckless Lu Yinglin. Not only was Xiaozhi not threatened by the Lu family, but because Lu Yingqi's status in the Xuantian Sect continued to rise, he also entered the inner sect, became a disciple of a famous master, and lived a peaceful life of cultivation. The Lu family also paid special attention to him, unlike how they neglected other servants.

Lu Yinglin told Rong Xie all of this, his words filled with resentment towards Lu Yingqi. He also described Xiaozhi as a lucky but mediocre servant boy who dutifully carried out the surveillance mission assigned to him by the Lu family, while maintaining a lukewarm relationship with Lu Yingqi. He was hard to leave any impression and was far inferior to Xiaoya.

Of course, Rong Xie believed that Xiao Zhi was definitely not just a lucky guy. He was able to carry out the tasks assigned to him by the Lu family and win their attention, while also maintaining his relationship with Lu Yingqi and making Lu Yingqi regard him as an important partner. When Lu Yingqi was in seclusion, he would also let Xiao Zhi stand in for him and come out to communicate important matters with others. Such skillful maneuvering could not be summarized by the word "luck".

Now that Rong Xie was about to meet this unassuming person, he naturally dared not take it lightly. After expressing his gratitude to Zhao Dajiang, he asked him to arrange a time and place for their meeting.

“Although Xiaozhi is just a follower, he is someone who can speak up for Lu Yingqi,” Zhao Dajiang tried to explain.

“I know he is Lu Yingqi’s personal attendant. Meeting him is the same as meeting Lu Yingqi himself.” Rong Xie said gratefully, “Thanks to Brother Zhao’s efforts, I was able to meet this important person, and I got the news so quickly. I really don’t know how to thank Brother Zhao.”

As he spoke, Rong Xie handed the restored map of the King of Ruan's treasure to Zhao Dajiang.

When Zhao Dajiang held the drawing in his hands, he saw that the lines, colors, and even the text on it were almost identical to the original. In his hazy memory, apart from the different text, he could hardly tell the difference.

"Fellow Daoist Rong is truly amazing!" Zhao Dajiang couldn't help but exclaim, looking at the treasure map again and again.

"It's also because this treasure map is simple," Rong Xie said with a smile.

"This is no simple matter, no simple matter at all—" Zhao Dajiang praised repeatedly, then looked up at Rong Xie, "Fellow Daoist Rong, are you really not considering coming with us?"

"No, I've thought about it. I'm still not good at this. I don't want to hold you back," Rong Xie said with a smile, politely declining.

“Alright.” Zhao Dajiang put away the treasure map with some regret. “Then I’ll take my leave now. I’ll tell you again after I’ve arranged to meet Lu Yingqi’s servant.”

Zhao Dajiang got up, and Rong Xie escorted him to the door.

Finally, he made contact with Lu Yingqi, and Rong Xie's mood brightened considerably. He couldn't help but imagine a truly happy ending where someone and Lu Yingqi fought against the Heavenly Demon together, the cultivation world safely weathered the great calamity, and no one was harmed.

Suddenly, a soft sound came from beside me, like the sound of a cat landing.

Rong Xie turned around—it wasn't that the cat had landed, but that someone who had been quiet for three days had reappeared.

Shen Bingsi still maintained the appearance of "Qu Huaiyan," as if he was addicted to this avatar. He hadn't appeared in front of Rong Xie for the past few days, and Rong Xie thought he had gone back.

After a few days apart, Shen Bingsi looked terrible, her face was gloomy, and her eyes held a dark and viscous emotion.

At that moment, he stared at Zhao Dajiang's departing figure with a somber expression.

"Why haven't you gone back yet?" Rong Xie was startled by "Qu Huaiyan".

"Why do you want to see him?" Qu Huaiyan's voice was somber. "Lu Yingqi..."

There's a hint of gritted teeth in the way this name is mentioned.

Clearly, Shen Bingsi knew Lu Yingqi.

It's the kind of "acquaintance" where you secretly consider someone a formidable rival, but never have the chance to actually fight them.

"You were eavesdropping on my conversation with my friend?" Rong Xie couldn't believe it.

How long has it been? Shen Bingsi, who has always been upright and honest, has actually started to become a thief! Sneaking into other people's homes and eavesdropping on their conversations, relying on his high cultivation level—is there anything more despicable than this?

"Hmph, didn't you also secretly copy my treasure map and give it away?" Qu Huaiyan retorted.

Ah… he already knows. Rong Xie thought to himself. But that’s not surprising. Since he could overhear what he was saying at home, the treasure map obviously couldn’t be kept from him either.

“I’m sorry, but my memory is just that good,” Rong Xie said without changing his expression. “If you don’t want me to remember you, be careful next time and don’t show it to me.”

Qu Huaiyan, who had been looking straight ahead, turned around upon hearing this and her gaze fell on Rong Xie's face.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly surprised that his gentle and upright best friend had such a side to him.

Rong Xie also stared back. He was ready to have a fight with Shen Bingsi. He spoke calmly, but Shen Bingsi seemed not to understand.

Qu Huaiyan's eyes, however, showed no anger, but rather a hint of interest, like a sailor who had discovered new land at sea.

"It was my oversight. I'll be more careful next time." Qu Huaiyan nodded, and the matter of the treasure map was thus casually dismissed.

"But why do you want to see Lu Yingqi?" Qu Huaiyan asked immediately, his gaze fixed on Rong Xie, as if trying to find an answer from his reaction.

"Can you help me find him?" Rong Xie asked in return.

“Why should I help you find him? I don’t know him,” Qu Huaiyan said immediately.

"That's it. Why ask so many questions if you can't help me find him?" Rong Xie had actually anticipated this answer. Shen Bingsi was the leader of the Ruthless Path of the Spirit Mirror Sect, and Lu Yingqi was the number one of the Ruthless Path of the Profound Heaven Sect. With Shen Bingsi's competitive nature, she must have thought about challenging Lu Yingqi to a duel, but she hasn't done so yet. She must have been rejected and is still secretly competing with him here.

"You..." Qu Huaiyan choked up as expected, and her gaze towards Rong Xie was no longer like that of someone who had discovered a new continent, but rather like someone who had hit a reef.

Rong Xie turned and went home, with Qu Huaiyan following him in.

Qu Huaiyan went on and on about how the Ruthless Path of the Lingjing Sect and the Ruthless Path of the Xuantian Sect were sworn enemies. He said that he had only managed to suppress the Xuantian Sect after becoming the Ruthless Path Judge. At this critical juncture, it was very inappropriate for Rong Xie to go to Lu Yingqi so eagerly. It would hinder the relationship between the two sects and affect the overall situation of the cultivation world.

"In short, you can't go to him." Qu Huaiyan concluded as they entered the flower hall.

Rong Xie took off his casual coat and put on the manager's uniform of Lan Yuan Villa. While adjusting his belt in front of the mirror, he said calmly, "Don't worry, I won't reveal our relationship. I'm just going to see him as an ordinary person living in Lan Yuan."

“That won’t do either!” Qu Huaiyan said resolutely.

"Why not?" Rong Xie straightened his coat, checked the account books he needed to take, and walked past "Qu Huaiyan" out.

Qu Huaiyan's face showed a dejected expression, which was rare for someone who always held his tail high. He opened his mouth, but swallowed back the sophistry that was on the tip of his tongue.

“I will feel bad,” he said, “because I will feel bad.”

Please stop here.

He turned back, his eyes filled with deep confusion: "Why? As a friend, aren't you being too nosy?"

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There are red envelopes in this chapter too!