Chapter 224: Chapter 16 Expedition Team
 

“…Lord Qilin, at that time you asked Brother Wei, ‘What is your name?’ Then Wei Dongliu clasped his fists and replied, ‘Wei Dongliu at your service.’ Lord Qilin nodded and said, ‘I will remember that,’ before lying down again.”

Inside the Divine Palace Main Hall, Long Xiaoqi reported in a low voice.

“Reconstruct the scene at that time for me, and don’t omit any details,” commanded an authoritative female voice.

Sect Leader Shi Yao of the Eastern Emperor Path was a mature woman who appeared to be in her thirties, wearing a cyan robe with flowing ink patterns, her black hair tied up in a towering bun. She had a full broad forehead and exhibited a majestic presence even without anger, and there was a cinnabar mole between her eyebrows.

If Wei Dongliu were here, he would certainly have a snide thought, “Which TV drama version of the character ‘Miejue’ are you?”

“When Lord Qilin said those words, what was his facial expression?” Shi Yao asked, frowning intently.

“No expression,” answered Long Xiaoqi.

“What tone of voice?”

“No particular tone,” Long Xiaoqi replied. “Very flat.”

“What do you mean by flat?” Shi Yao persisted, seeking further confirmation.

It wasn’t that she was overly cautious; after all, Lord Qilin was a celestial of high rank. Being extremely careful with matters related to such a figure could never be considered excessive.

“Just like my expression and tone right now,” Long Xiaoqi said flatly.

Shi Yao: ………

Long Xiaoqi: ………

After a moment of silent eye contact, Shi Yao eventually broke the silence and cleared her throat before asking:

“What about this Wei Dongliu, what is his background, what is his character like?”

“Wei Dongliu is a Mortal Life Path Cultivator,” Long Xiaoqi said softly. “He founded the ‘Myriad Laws Mystic Profound Sect’, and he has a good relationship with Brother Jiang of the Heavenly Demon Path, as well as Brother Wen of the Nether Ghost Path whom he’s known for a long time.”

“Brother Jiang?” Shi Yao pondered a bit from her memory and asked, “Is it Jiang Liyan, the one recruited by the Heavenly Demon Path more than twenty years ago, born on an inauspicious year, month, day, and hour?”

“I wouldn’t know about that,” Long Xiaoqi admitted earnestly. “But her name is indeed Jiang Liyan, so it must be the same person you’re talking about.”

“And how did he come to know Wen Yang?” Shi Yao inquired further.

“I don’t know that either,” Long Xiaoqi answered crisply.

“What is the nature of their relationship?” Shi Yao pressed on.

Long Xiaoqi thought carefully for a while, then said:

“It seems that Brother Jiang quite likes Brother Wei.”

“Has the Heavenly Demon Path already taken an interest in this Wei Dongliu?” After a lengthy silence, Shi Yao declared with a wave of her sleeve, “You may leave now, and ask them if they are willing to join the expedition team.”

“Understood,” said Long Xiaoqi as she turned to leave.

No sooner had she left than a figure emerged from the inner hall.

She was tall and slender, her eyes as deep as autumn waters, her face adorned with the glow of peach blossoms, exuding charm with every move. It was the same “Marquis of Mount Tu” who both Ling Yunpo and Qiu Changtian had seen in the Demon Locking Tower last time, now no longer dressed as a male Shushan cultivator, but in a captivating peach-colored dress.

“I would like to meet this Wei Dongliu,” said the Marquis of Mount Tu with a smile.

“No,” Shi Yao rejected immediately. “This plan is of grave importance, and you must not create any complications.”

“I know my limits,” the Marquis of Mount Tu retorted petulantly.

“You know nothing about limits!” Shi Yao erupted in fury. “I must return to the Eastern Emperor Realm at once, and you will take me there.”

“If you go back, what will happen here?” The Marquis of Mount Tu was not upset, just asking languidly.

“That is not your concern,” Shi Yao said, not wanting to elaborate any further, her words resolute. “Your only task is to transport my kin back and forth between the two realms, and you’re not allowed to meddle in anything else!”

“How utterly heartless,” Marquis of Mount Tu laughed behind her hand, “Keep offending me, and one day you might just get outsmarted by me.”

“Are you trying to provoke a dispute between the two races?” Shi Yao asked, her expression turning sharp as one eyebrow archly rose.

“Stop, stop, stop – don’t intimidate me,” sighed Marquis of Mount Tu, “I’ll take you there, okay?”

She turned her gaze toward the exterior of the hall and let out a deep sigh.

………

Wei Dongliu sat in meditation in his guest room for a moment before beckoning his gold silkworm gus forth with a wave of his hand.

The three gold silkworm gus danced and weaved through the air, buzzing happily as if they were greatly enjoying themselves.

In theory, once mature and if there is a pair of male and female, the Hundred Poisons gold silkworm gus should be able to reproduce.

But how to induce them to procreate? On this, Wei Dongliu was without a clue.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that probably only the Eastern Emperor Path would have intelligence on such matters, considering they had fully inherited the heritage of the Beast Taming Path.

Although Long Xiaoqi seemed unconcerned, that didn’t necessarily mean that the Eastern Emperor Path didn’t covet the Hundred Poisons gold silkworm gus.

Upon this realization, Wei Dongliu casually stood up, ready to go out and probe Long Xiaoqi for information.

Just as he stepped out, he saw Jiang the Witch leaning against the rails of the outer corridor with Long Xiaoqi, idly chatting and gazing into the distance.

The Eastern Emperor Divine Palace was built atop the snowy peak of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain; from the railing of this corridor, one could see layers of ice and snow, grassy meadows, lush conifers, and in the distance, the vast Hundred Thousand Mountains, tropical rainforests, and the miasma of Peach Blossom, a panoramic view of diverse landscapes.

“What’s truly fearsome in the Hundred Thousand Mountains isn’t the demonic beasts,” said Long Xiaoqi in a low voice, “but the ruins.”

“Ruins?” Jiang Liyan asked curiously, “Aren’t those opportunities for serendipity?”

“It’s only an opportunity if you make it out alive,” replied Long Xiaoqi, “If you die inside, that’s not serendipity – it’s a death trap.”

“Indeed,” Wei Dongliu joined in the conversation naturally, “and the Hundred Thousand Mountains were once the ancient battlefield of the Human Race and the Demon Race, so the ruins there aren’t just the dwellings of immortals but also purely military traps.”

“If you wander into one by mistake, even if it doesn’t kill you, it will skin you alive, let alone any hope for treasures.”

“Is that so?” Jiang Liyan said thoughtfully, yet the gleam of interest in her eyes remained unabated, and she smiled, “Little Qi is a local; you must be very familiar with the terrain here, right? You should know all about where the ruins and traps are.”

“Brother Jiang,” said Wei Dongliu with a wry smile, “All the outer areas that she knows like the back of her hand have certainly been explored long ago; what’s there left for us?”

“True,” nodded Long Xiaoqi, “Every year when the miasma fades, expedition teams enter the Hundred Thousand Mountains, focusing on areas that haven’t been explored before.”

“Furthermore, there are many ancient ruins that we’ve never explored before, but when we enter, they’re already plundered. It seems that the Shushan folk have gotten there first.”

“Apart from the expedition teams, we also need to form hunting squads every day to protect the expedition teams from being ambushed by Shushan or to ambush the located Shushan Sword Immortals, to prevent them from jeopardizing our exploration efforts.”

Ambush the other side… Wei Dongliu couldn’t help but smirk inwardly; you think I don’t know that every year you’re the ones getting decimated by Shushan, with no strength to fight back?

Jiang Liyan obviously knew this as well, but chose not to call out Long Xiaoqi’s bluff and laughed instead:

“With our Five Sects uniting this time, the barbarians of Shushan will be like a solitary tree incapable of making a forest, hardly worth mentioning.”

“Hmm,” Long Xiaoqi nodded in agreement, “According to the original agreement of the Five Sects, the hunting squad should be staffed by members rotated from all five sects, with each person spending on average one day hunting for every two days spent exploring.”

“However, I’ve discussed this with the Sect Leader… well, Brother Wei, Brother Jiang, Brother Wen, and Brother Gu, as strong cultivators within the Foundation Establishment Realm, you have the option not to participate in the hunting but to join the expedition team instead.”

“Expedition team?” Wei Dongliu asked curiously.

“It’s the team that goes deep into the Hundred Thousand Mountains towards the area near the Eastern Emperor Boundary Gate,” explained Long Xiaoqi, “The region is incredibly dangerous, and even Golden Core cultivators frequently perish there. Only the strongest among the Foundation Establishment disciples are qualified to accompany the Golden Core seniors into that area.”

Wei Dongliu and Jiang Liyan exchanged a glance.

The former remained expressionless, covertly weighing his options.

The latter broke into a smile, eager to test her mettle.