After Zhang Lan's incessant persuasion, A Yao finally spoke:
"Alright, since Sister Zhang has said so, then I agree."
Hearing what A Yao said, Zhang Lan said happily, "That's great! I'll go tell Ye Tian right now."
After speaking, Zhang Lan left A Yao's cave. Two days later, A Yao received a message from Zhang Lan saying that the last person had been found, and all six Nascent Soul cultivators were now gathered. They planned to depart in three days, and A Yao should prepare accordingly.
After receiving Zhang Lan's message, A Yao made some preparations. Although she had Xiao Bai as her trump card, it was always better to be cautious.
————
Three days later.
Two long streaks of light flew across the sky above Yutian City, and within these streaks were two women. One of the women wore a red palace dress, and the other wore a purple gauze dress, both with their faces veiled.
Zhang Lan and A Yao flew together towards the outside of Yutian City. They would meet Ye Tian and the others outside the city. Zhang Lan and A Yao chatted for a while, and before they knew it, they had arrived at a mountain peak outside Yutian City. At the top of the mountain, A Yao saw Ye Tian dressed in a black robe. Not far from Ye Tian, a rugged-looking man was meditating.
Not far from the rugged-looking man, a huge saber-toothed demon tiger lay on the ground, carrying a withered Taoist priest on its back.
The rugged-looking man was none other than Fellow Daoist Hu, with whom A-Yao had traded goods several times. The withered Daoist atop the demonic tiger's back was none other than the One Yuan True Man, whom A-Yao had heard of but never met. After A-Yao and Zhang Lan arrived, Ye Tian greeted them with a smile. Zhang Lan smiled and said:
"Are we too late?"
Ye Tian said with a smile, "No, no, we arrived just in time. We just got here recently."
A Yao looked at Fellow Daoist Hu, who smiled and nodded at her as a greeting.
The withered Daoist Yiyuan, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them after Ayao and Zhang Lan arrived, looking at Ayao. He had already met Zhang Lan before, so he was now only observing Ayao, this unfamiliar Nascent Soul stage female cultivator. He could tell that Ayao had clearly only recently entered the Nascent Soul stage, and such an early stage Nascent Soul cultivator posed no threat to him. However, Ayao possessed an outstanding aura, but the veil covering her face made him somewhat curious about her appearance.
Ye Tian smiled and introduced, "Fellow Daoist Yi Yuan, this is Fellow Daoist Lu."
Master Yiyuan clasped his hands in a fist salute to Ayao, and Ayao politely returned the salute: "Friendly Daoist Yiyuan."
That Master Yiyuan was aloof and, after greeting Ayao, stopped talking.
"Fellow Daoist Ye, where is the other person?" A Yao asked.
Ye Tian said, "They haven't arrived yet, but I think they should be here soon."
So everyone waited there, and after about half an hour, a giant moth flew in from the horizon. This moth was dozens of feet tall, entirely purple, and covered in various purple patterns. With each flap of its wings, a faint purple mist emanated from its body. On the moth's body sat a man dressed in a scholar's robe.
The man looked to be in his thirties, with an average appearance, narrow eyes, and a strange, eerie blue light that always flickered in his pupils.
The moth was very fast and arrived in front of Ayao and the others in no time.
As soon as Ye Tian saw him, he laughed loudly and said, "Brother Qin, you've finally arrived."
The scholar-like man, Qin, stood up, put away his enormous moth, and said with a smile, "Sorry, sorry, I was delayed on the way."
Ayao, Fellow Daoist Hu, True Man Yiyuan, and Zhang Lan all looked at the scholar-robed man. Seeing that he was actually at the late-stage Nascent Soul realm, they all became more wary. Ye Tian hadn't mentioned before that the last person he'd arranged to meet was a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. Among the six, this scholar-robed man at the late-stage Nascent Soul realm had the highest cultivation. What if he tried to forcibly seize the treasure?
However, thinking that even if this scholar-robed man was at the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, could he possibly take on five people at once? With this thought, everyone felt relieved.
"Let me introduce you all. This is Qin Xiong, Fellow Daoist Qin," Ye Tian said with a smile.
Although Qin Xiong, the scholar-robed man, was in the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, he appeared completely unpretentious, greeting everyone with a warm smile and clasped hands. Fellow Daoist Hu then spoke up: "Greetings, Fellow Daoist Qin. My surname is Hu. Fellow Daoist Qin looks unfamiliar. Are you from Yutian City?"
Qin Xiong laughed and said, "I don't cultivate in Yutian City, but in Xiaolishan, tens of thousands of miles away. I was trying to break through to the late stage of Nascent Soul, and I had been cultivating for hundreds of years without ever leaving my cave. It was only recently that I successfully broke through to the late stage of Nascent Soul. Then I met Brother Ye and heard him talk about the ancient ruins, which is why he dragged me here."
Qin Xiong spoke gently and had a pleasant voice, giving people a feeling of warmth and making them unconsciously develop a liking for him.
Ayao scrutinized the man, growing increasingly wary.
It was her intuition; her intuition told her that it was best to stay away from this person.
"So, Fellow Daoist Qin and Fellow Daoist Ye knew each other before?" Fellow Daoist Hu asked.
Ye Tian laughed and said, "I have known Qin Xiong for a thousand years. We went to some dangerous places together before. If it weren't for Brother Qin's help, I would probably have perished there."
After Ye Tian said this, although everyone was wary of Qin Xiong, whom they had never met or heard of before, they thought that Ye Tian had said he had known Qin Xiong for a thousand years, so he should be reliable, right? Since they were already here, they couldn't back down now.
Ye Tian smiled and introduced everyone present to Qin Xiong. After exchanging pleasantries, Ye Tian led the way and flew towards the ancient ruins he had mentioned.
On the way, Ayao and Zhang Lan were at the back. Looking at Ye Tian and Qin Xiong ahead, she asked Zhang Lan in a telepathic voice, "Sister Zhang, did you know Qin Xiong before?"
Zhang Lan said, "I don't know him either."
"Fellow Daoist Ye said he has known this Fellow Daoist Qin for a thousand years. Has he mentioned this to you before?" Ayao asked.
Zhang Lan frowned: "No, we don't have that."
Zhang Lan also had some doubts, but then she thought that even husband and wife couldn't tell their Daoist partner everything. Although she and Ye Tian had an ambiguous relationship, they weren't Daoist partners yet, so it was normal for him to keep some things from her.
She believed in her heart that Ye Tian would never harm her. She smiled at A Yao and transmitted her voice, "Don't worry, sister. Although Qin Xiong is at the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, he's only one person. How could he possibly defeat so many of us?"
Even if Ye Tian joins forces with Qin Xiong, the remaining four of them together would not be afraid of them.
Zhang Lan thought so, and so did Fellow Daoist Hu and True Man Yiyuan.
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