"Neighhhhh——"
The horse reared back with a long neigh, and the carriage came to a halt beside the official road.
The clouds outside the carriage window had gradually taken on a layer of leaden gray over the past two days as they raced along.
If one looked closely,
one might catch a glimpse of countless birds hovering in the sky, which were the true cause of the cloud’s transformation.
Su Qingdai lifted the carriage curtain, gazing into the distance, a trace of solemnity passing through her eyes beneath the veil:
"Senior, ahead lies Xinzheng County. But now this place... it’s even more desolate than when our Valley’s Elder swept away the Red Ape Sect."
When the Red Ape Sect was purged, the Golden Core True Man’s might was overwhelming, frightening away numerous low-tier demon beasts.
But after the True Man departed, these low-tier demon beasts returned, making it appear even more somber.
Chen Ye stepped out of the carriage, standing against the wind, his divine sense sweeping across the land as he spoke with understanding:
"The earth’s energy is filthy, and there’s a faint trace of a great demon commanding the beast hordes. Even though the Red Ape Sect is destroyed, a great demon still lurks. It’s just hidden among the beast tide, making it hard to detect."
Behind him, three disciples also disembarked from the carriage one after another.
After two days together in the carriage, the shyness of Jin’er had somewhat faded away. Jian Qingjun, who had been behaving with restraint, also lowered her guard.
She glanced over the withered woods around them and moved to Zhiwei’s side:
"Young Master, the atmosphere here is so oppressive, and it’s so quiet..."
At the side, Qing Jun, who had been behaving well under Chen Ye’s occasional head-knocking during the journey, finally found a chance to join the conversation. She leapt happily beside the carriage with a little bundle on her back.
Seeing Jin’er not walking away as she did the previous days, the little girl beamed toothily and hurriedly approached, patting her chest in assurance:
"Don’t be afraid, little brother! I’m here! No matter where it’s hiding, if those big monkeys dare to jump out and seek death, Young Master here can flatten one with a slap!"
Jin’er looked at the little girl’s eager-to-impress demeanor and eventually couldn’t hold back. She wrinkled her upturned nose, deliberately snorted coldly, and turned away, but the slight curl of her lips betrayed her true feelings.
Su Qingdai grew more and more puzzled as she listened.
She remembered that these two had a master-servant relationship, but their interaction seemed more like sisters than master and servant.
Additionally,
it seemed that the young master was the youngest, so why did they call the servant ’younger brother’?
Never mind, never mind.
Perhaps this foreign group consisted only of these four, growing up together like family, which made their behavior unsurprising.
Chen Ye watched the interaction between the two little girls and shook his head with mild amusement.
He secretly transmitted his voice to Zhiwei: "Fortunately, we have you as a lubricant..."
"Lu...lubricant? Master, what do you mean by that?"
In white robes, Zhiwei’s handsome young features stood out prominently against the gloomy light.
She held the Canchen Sword in her arms, slightly trembling.
"If not for you, just their subtle atmosphere would have given me headaches all along the way."
Chen Ye said gratified,
Though he found it odd; his meaning should have been clear, why was Zhiwei’s reaction peculiar?
On a second thought, he realized this world probably didn’t have the concept of ’lubricant.’
Jin’er and Qing Jun both had eccentric tempers, thanks to Zhiwei’s mediation.
"Oh... it’s an honor for this disciple." Zhiwei paused for a moment, quickly replying.
"What’s wrong?" Chen Ye added in some confusion, transmitting another message, "Feeling unwell? The earth’s energy here is foul, be careful not to let the demonic energy of the Great Marsh disturb your mind."
"This disciple... this disciple is fine, just a momentary disruption in energy flow earlier, but it’s no big deal now."
"Alright, but speaking of which. Aunt Mao is easy to deal with, but you’ll have to mediate more in front of True Inheritor Bai... and Qin Jiaming in the future."
Chen Ye sighed.
He always felt Qing Jun and Jin’er harbored some hostility toward True Inheritor Bai, not to mention Qin Jiaming... Regardless, Chen Ye’s relationship with Qin Jiaming was no longer pure.
By then,
He could only rely on his eldest disciple to help suppress his other two disciples.
Zhiwei’s fingers holding the Canchen Sword trembled slightly.
Mediating between the master, True Inheritor Bai, and Qin Jiaming...
Yet, she had never wished to disappoint her master.
"This... is also this disciple’s honor."
Chen Ye shook his head.
The eldest disciple was excellent in every way, just too modest.
However, this was not the main concern; he turned to Su Qingdai:
"Since the Fairy has brought me here, you must already have a destination in mind. Though there are many demon beasts, it’s unlikely they can escape the eyes of Medicine King Valley."
Even though Su Qingdai invited him for this investigation, she must have already had a plan.
It wouldn’t be possible for them to wander around Xinzheng County like headless flies, right?
Furthermore,
He knew well that Su Qingdai had brought him to back her up, most likely to target a specific great demon.
Upon hearing this, Su Qingdai’s beautiful eyes shifted slightly, as she gave Chen Ye a graceful bow:
"Senior is truly a divine person with Dharma Eyes that see through all. Indeed, Qing Dai already has a specific target."
As she spoke, she took out a dark green array plate from her sleeve and injected a spell into it.
The array plate projected an illusory mini-map, marking the areas near the border of Xinzheng County and the Great Marsh with red dots.
"In fact, seven days ago, when our Valley’s Elder swept through the ancestral grounds of the Red Ape Sect, a Demon Ape with strength nearing the Third Tier was wounded and fled. The Elder failed to notice it in time, allowing it to fortunately escape. Subsequently, as the grand ceremony was held and various forces gathered, the Elder had to withdraw temporarily, without continuing the pursuit."
"According to disciples stationed in Xinzheng County, the Demon Ape most likely still lurks nearby. However, the demonic energy is mixed, and our Valley hasn’t been able to precisely pinpoint its hiding place. Nevertheless, since it’s injured, it will need to devour large amounts of blood food or spiritual medicine to stabilize its condition. By investigating along the way, we will surely find some clues."