Suddenly, he turned his gaze to Zero and said with a light laugh:
"Speaking of which, the 'benefactor' that old gentleman mentioned might just be you, young friend Ling..."
Upon hearing this, Zero paused for a moment, then pointed to himself and said:
"I?"
Mei Shiqi nodded and said logically and with evidence:
"You see... we didn't have any connection before, did we?"
He nodded at midnight.
That's natural, but it doesn't seem to have anything to do with being a benefactor, does it?
Seeing Zero turn around, Mei Shiqi continued:
"Why would two people who have never crossed paths meet?! Why did their paths suddenly intersect?! Why is this...? It's because of fate!!"
"fate?"
"Of course! ... It was fate that brought us together at the city gate, and it was also fate that allowed me to obtain the Heart-Clearing Grass I had been dreaming of from you."
Suddenly, Mei Shiqi stretched out a hand and waved it out into the air, pointing towards the sky outside the house, and said in a vivid and expressive voice.
"By the way, I haven't had a chance to ask you before... This Heart-Clearing Grass seems to be very important to you. What is the use of this spiritual herb? You actually wanted to buy it for three times the market price?"
Zero also asked a question that had puzzled him from the very beginning.
Upon hearing this, Mei Shiqi composed herself, regained her composure, and said:
"To be honest, I am actually an alchemist."
Mei Shiqi spoke while observing the reactions of Ling and the others.
However, the three seemed to have known about this all along, and there was not much of a fuss about it...
Bi Hui and Xuan Qing already knew, while Ling guessed it herself. Only Jiang Quan was extremely shocked and exclaimed:
"An alchemist!? The legendary alchemist who can bring the dead back to life and heal bones!?"
Seeing Jiang Quan's somewhat flustered expression, Mei Shiqi chuckled:
"It's not that exaggerated. If someone really had that ability, wouldn't they be a god?"
"Anyway, they're incredibly skilled! I've never even seen an alchemist before, and here they are right next to me!"
Mei Shiqi nodded and said:
"I am currently at the peak of a sixth-grade alchemist. I only need one Hollow Pill to break through to the seventh-grade alchemist level, and the essential ingredient for refining the Hollow Pill is the Heart-Connecting Grass. That's why I was so shocked when I saw that my friend Ling possessed the Heart-Connecting Grass."
"I've been stuck at the peak of the sixth-grade alchemist for many years, and I didn't have much hope. But I never expected to run into you a few days ago."
Mei Shiqi paused, then turned her gaze to Zero and said:
"Tell me, if you're not my benefactor, then who is?"
"I see, so we really are quite destined to meet..."
Zero nodded, but a feeling lingered in his heart that their encounter wasn't so simple. After all, he had noticed Mei Shiqi observing him from the attic from the very beginning…
It's impossible to say that it's all because of the elixir.
The elixir was later retrieved from the spatial storage by Ling. So why would Mei Shiqi suddenly pay attention to two people entering Luoyun City? Even if it was out of curiosity, with so many people entering and leaving the city gates every day, why did she only notice the two of them...?
This was also something Zero couldn't understand, but Mei Shiqi hadn't shown any ill intent. Perhaps their meeting was just a coincidence, or maybe he was overthinking it...
"By the way, do you know how to leave this place? Xuanqing, as you know, we didn't come here to become disciples of the Daoguang Sect... Now that things are clear, there's no need to stay any longer... I was just thinking of going to the Mei family with Young Master Mei to ask about the Seven Gods Sect."
Ling turned to Xuan Qing and said.
Xuan Qing nodded and said:
"Normally, it wouldn't be easy to get out of here, but thanks to my connections, I can get you out. However, you must keep everything here a secret and not divulge a single word!"
"That's natural."
The crowd responded in unison.
Xuan Qing nodded and led them forward. Before long, they arrived at the forest where Zero and the others had first entered.
"Alright, keep heading north from here until you see a well. Go down from there, and you'll reach Miaotang in Tianshui City directly. They'll know the way then, and you can leave from there..."
Xuanqing nodded towards Ling as he spoke.
Ling Wei bowed slightly in thanks, and without asking any further questions about the arrangement, the four of them left as Xuan Qing had instructed...
Seeing the four leave, Xuan Qing frowned slightly as he watched Mei Shiqi's departing figure.
Mei Shiqi, oh Mei Shiqi, no one has ever truly seen through you. I only hope you have no ulterior motives...
...
"I never imagined that the way out of this place, which is used to train disciples both openly and secretly, would be underground..."
Jiang Quan was the last to climb down from the well, and couldn't help but mutter something to himself.
"That's right. As the vice sect master of the Daoguang Sect, I didn't even know that there was a secret training base for first disciples within the Daoguang Sect..."
Bi Hui spoke, then added with a hint of joy:
"But it's all for the best. Now that I know it was all a scheme, my brother is safe, and I don't have to live in constant fear anymore. My heart... can finally be at ease..."
"But my older brother is really something, he didn't even tell me... I've only been gone for a few months, and he treats his own brother like an outsider..."
Hearing Bi Hui's complaining tone, Ling chuckled:
"There's a saying that goes, 'If you want others to believe you, you must first deceive your own people!' Your older brother probably kept it from you as well to ensure everything went smoothly, so don't overthink it..."
"Of course I understand that, and I don't really blame my brother. I'm relieved now... Enough of this, let's get going!"
Bi Hui shook his head and smiled.
"It's quite strange, actually. We went in through a teleportation array, but now we're leaving through this underground passage. I have to say, they've done a pretty big job..."
Jiang Quan said with some surprise.
"The ground is dry and dust-free, so it must be cleaned regularly."
Mei Shiqi also said.
"And these surrounding stone walls are all made of granite, and the stone ceiling is also designed to prevent it from collapsing. To say that it's just an exit would be far too extravagant..."
Zero frowned slightly and said with some doubt.
"Never mind that, it's their business. Let's just leave as soon as possible. According to Xuanqing, it'll take at least an hour to get out of here..."
"That's true, let's go."
...
After walking for a while, Bi Hui, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped.
Seeing him stop, the others looked at him with puzzled expressions.
"What's wrong, Sect Master Bi?"
Zero asked.
Bi Hui frowned slightly, raised his hand and fanned himself in front of him, then sniffed the air, and asked in confusion:
"Strange...why does this place smell musty?"
"A musty smell?"
Upon hearing this, Zero stepped forward and sniffed.
Sure enough, a strange smell kept wafting from ahead, and it smelled just like something was moldy.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
