Chapter 66: Like Looking at a Corpse

Chapter 66: Like Looking at a Corpse

Chen Yin no longer wanted to recall those memories.

For a time, he believed it was his desperate will to survive that allowed him to escape the hidden realm.

He had found the scroll, learned those three sword techniques, and had been overjoyed, planning to return to Yushan Mountain to reunite with his master and Xiang'er.

—But the moment when his desire to survive was strongest and the moment it was weakest were separated by only a single day.

When he returned to the main sect's mountain gate, his once burning will to live crumbled.

He suddenly found himself questioning why he had fought so hard to escape the hidden realm in the first place.

In the end, all his efforts only earned him two cold, lifeless corpses.

"If I could, I honestly wish I had never gone to that place," he murmured to himself. "It would’ve been better to stay at Yushan Mountain back then."

Seeing Chen Yin’s mood sink, Luo Luo leaned in gently, rubbing her small head against his arm in a soothing gesture.

Qing Ying, still slumped on the ground, sat in a daze for a long time before shaking her head slowly.

"I don’t believe it," she said.

"This is just your one-sided story."

"A-Chen only went to the Cang Zhe Ancient Domain a few months ago. If you were there, how could you possibly have made it back here in time?"

"You’re lying to me." Qing Ying stared at him intently.

Chen Yin shrugged. "Think what you want."

"But, either way, I’m planning to visit the Cang Zhe Ancient Domain again sometime soon."

"If you’re interested, you can come with me and see for yourself."

"…Your brother’s last communication jade contained many messages about you," he added seriously, looking her in the eyes.

Qing Ying froze for a moment, then slowly closed her eyes.

"But for now, there’s a more immediate question."

Chen Yin returned to his usual carefree demeanor, flopping back into his chair.

"What are you planning to do? Just stay tied up like this forever?"

Qing Ying hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.

"You… you’re not a demonic cultivator, are you?"

"Obviously. You already know who I am."

Chen Yin grinned smugly and gestured flamboyantly. "I am the most handsome man in the cultivation world, the fiercest firecracker of Yushan Mountain, Chen Yin! A man with no skill in zither, chess, calligraphy, or painting but unparalleled in flirting and roguish charm!"

"Think about it. If I were truly a demonic cultivator, why would I bother with masks and disguises to infiltrate the demonic faction headquarters?"

Qing Ying fell silent for a while before slowly saying, "Alright."

"I’ll temporarily put aside the sect leader’s orders and not kill you."

"But you must take me to the Cang Zhe Ancient Domain to find my brother." Her cold, piercing gaze locked onto Chen Yin.

Chen Yin considered for a moment before nodding slowly. "Alright."

With a soft click, the ropes binding Qing Ying fell away.

"Just in case," Chen Yin said casually, "I’ve left a thread of sword energy within your spiritual foundation. If you have any second thoughts, I can detonate it anytime and send you on your way."

Qing Ying rubbed her sore wrists and snorted. "How cautious of you."

"I can’t help it. I’m a coward by nature. Without some insurance, I’d always feel uneasy."

Chen Yin grinned. "If you were in my shoes, wouldn’t you do the same?"

Qing Ying didn’t respond, silently acknowledging his reasoning.

"So, what now?" she asked, turning to him. "What are you even doing at the headquarters of the demonic faction?"

"…There’s a lot to do. Hard to explain all at once."

After thinking for a moment, Chen Yin said softly, "Here’s the plan. As a member of the secret division, you must be skilled at concealment, right?"

"Team up with Luo Luo and map out the entire layout of this demonic faction’s headquarters. We need to know the structure before planning our next move."

—He wasn’t worried about Qing Ying posing a threat to Luo Luo. The master-servant contract ensured he’d immediately know if Luo Luo was in danger, which would give him plenty of time to detonate the sword energy in Qing Ying.

"Remember, this is the demonic faction’s headquarters. There could be many powerful elders here."

"Be cautious in everything you do. Your only goal is to scout the terrain and avoid being exposed," Chen Yin instructed.

Qing Ying, long accustomed to following orders, merely nodded silently.

Meanwhile, Luo Luo drooped her ears slightly, looking a little distracted.

"Rest assured."

Chen Yin’s broad hand gently patted her head as he comforted her softly, "If there’s truly news that Ya Ya and the others are still alive, I will absolutely rescue them safely."

"All you need to do is restrain yourself and not act impulsively."

Luo Luo fiddled with her fingers for a long moment before obediently replying, "Mm."

"Alright, time to move."

<+>

Zhao Han was having a pretty easy day today.

The past two days had been annoying—playing servant to the Saintess, fetching tea, pouring water, and generally acting like a lowly errand boy had left him irritable.

But it seemed the heavens had taken pity on his hard work, sending Chen Yin, a subservient and capable subordinate who seemed as naive as he was hardworking.

Now, everything was taken care of by this fool. Zhao Han didn’t have to lift a finger, leaving him free to laze around and sleep to his heart’s content.

After dinner, he was strolling through the main hall’s corridor when he happened to bump into Chen Yin, who was coming out of the kitchen. Zhao Han immediately approached him.

"Hey, working hard so late, huh?"

Chen Yin looked a bit flustered, hiding his hands behind his back with an awkward smile. "Brother Zhao, you’re still awake?"

"Awake? It’s not even that late yet!"

Zhao Han gestured toward Chen Yin’s back. "What’s that you’re hiding?"

Chen Yin hesitated, then slowly revealed a jug of wine.

"Sorry, Brother Zhao, I couldn’t resist. I saw some fine wine in the kitchen and couldn’t help myself…" he said, looking guilty.

"Ah, no big deal, drink all you want."

Zhao Han waved dismissively, grinning. "Didn’t know you were a wine lover. That’s just my type of guy!"

"Come on, let’s head to my room. We’ll drink and chat, just the two of us."

Chen Yin followed Zhao Han meekly, a fleeting glint flashing through his eyes.

Two hours later.

"That damn Saintess—who does she think she is?!"

Several empty wine jars lay strewn across the floor, the room reeking of alcohol.

Zhao Han, now thoroughly drunk, was slurring and cursing incoherently. "It’s… it’s all just because of her damn body constitution! She cultivates those demonic arts at an absurd speed and gets to sit on top of the world. For what?!"

"Why… why don’t I, old Zhao, ever catch a break like that?"

Chen Yin was attentively pouring more wine, keeping up a polite smile. "Brother Zhao, don’t think of it that way."

"In life, nine out of ten things don’t go as planned. Maybe the Saintess has had her share of bad luck, and maybe you’ve had your share of good fortune too."

"That… that’s true…"

Zhao Han hiccuped, then chuckled drunkenly. "When luck’s on my side, even I make others jealous! Hah!"

Here it comes. Chen Yin smiled faintly to himself.

"By the way, Brother Zhao," he began casually, "didn’t you mention before that you lucked into becoming a Second-Rank member of the headquarters?"

As he poured more wine, Chen Yin asked, "Can you tell me about it? Maybe I can share in some of that good fortune."

"Ah, let me tell you, Second-Rank merits are no small feat!"

Zhao Han’s face flushed with excitement, his greasy complexion turning bright red.

"Have you ever heard of the Blue Fox Spirit Clan?"

Blue Fox? Chen Yin blinked.

"Ah, it’s fine if you haven’t. These days, cultivators don’t pay much attention to the Spirit Clans," Zhao Han said smugly.

"The Blue Fox? They’re the kings of the Fox Spirit Clans."

"It’s said that among all Spirit Clans, the Blue Fox hold an unrivaled status. Even the most powerful beasts show them respect."

"Why? Because the Blue Fox possess an incredibly unique bloodline ability—communicating with the Void."

"This ability is extraordinary. You must know, the Void is a domain that only Great Masters of the Great Purity Realm can touch. Any cultivator below that level entering the Void would end up dead without a trace."

"But the Blue Fox can ignore the Void’s dangers and communicate with it. Those with purer bloodlines can even traverse freely between the Void and the material world, coming and going as they please. It’s practically unbeatable."

—Freely traversing the Void?

Chen Yin’s expression grew subtly odd.

So that little Luo Luo of his had an even bigger background than he’d thought.

"Such an overpowered talent," he exclaimed, feigning amazement. "Wouldn’t that make them invincible?"

"Not quite," Zhao Han said, smacking his lips.

"Powerful bloodlines mean lower fertility rates. The Blue Fox Spirit Clan’s lineage is sparse, and their unique talent always attracts greed."

"As a result, most Blue Fox live in seclusion, hidden within barriers set up by their elders, isolated from the world."

"The Blue Fox have also become the most sought-after pets in the cultivation world."

"Anyone who can form a master-servant contract with a Blue Fox essentially gains a powerful helper."

That much was true—Luo Luo was far more useful than he’d initially thought.

"And then?" Chen Yin pressed. "How does that relate to you, Brother Zhao?"

"Patience! Let me explain!"

Zhao Han adopted a wistful look.

"One day, a few of us from the headquarters went out on a mission. After finishing up, we were heading back when we passed through a dense forest. There, in a secluded valley, we stumbled upon a group of Blue Fox."

"Talk about a windfall! They were just young Blue Fox with low cultivation levels and less concentrated bloodlines."

"They had nowhere to run. It was like a gift from the heavens!"

As Zhao Han burst into triumphant laughter, Chen Yin kept his expression warm and encouraging.

"And then? Did you claim them as your own?"

"Of course not!" Zhao Han chuckled. "I wouldn’t dare. Naturally, I handed them over to the headquarters."

"Blue Fox, with their Void-communication abilities, are excellent for transmitting information."

"Unfortunately, those Blue Fox were still young and their bloodlines were not strong enough. They’re being kept in captivity for now, waiting to mature before serving the sect leader."

"I see," Chen Yin thought to himself, then smiled lightly.

"Are those little foxes still at the headquarters?" he asked.

"Of course."

Zhao Han grinned slyly, pointing at Chen Yin. "I bet you’ve never seen anything like them and want to take a peek, huh?"

"No problem! I’m in charge of watching over those little foxes. As your brother, I can let you have a look. Leave it to me!"

"Thank you, Brother Zhao."

Chen Yin added with a smile, "By the way, one more thing."

"Have those little foxes formed any master-servant contracts?"

"Of course! Can’t have them running off."

Zhao Han gave a thumbs-up. "Their lives are in my hands now."

—So you’re the contract master.

That makes things easier.

Chen Yin smiled warmly at Zhao Han.

As though he were looking at a corpse.

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