Yang Lingrui followed Pei Xuejian along floating jade steps that climbed higher until they surpassed the Li Family’s pavilion.

After more climbing, Pei Xuejian produced a wooden token and pressed it against empty air.

Yang Lingrui’s confusion vanished as the world around him blurred.

Illusion array!

He immediately understood.

Flickers of light passed before the scenery stabilized.

The jade steps now became a stone path flanked by soft soil.

The dark mountain walls and pavilions had disappeared, replaced by an elegant garden.

“Come, Fellow Daoist Lingrui.”

Pei Xuejian guided him along the path into a corridor of connected halls.

Yang Lingrui kept scanning his surroundings, feeling everything unreal.

So this heavenly cave truly hid another realm!

An illusion array divided it into upper and lower zones, accessible only by token-bearers.

He remembered clearly how Song Kaiyang had flown down from this height.

“No wonder noble families participate in the Golden Scales Ceremony yet remained unseen. They’re here all along.”

Yang Lingrui mused, “Building this place in three days for the ceremonial gathering – impressive work by the nobles.”

Beyond the corridor lay a simple farmhouse courtyard.

Three figures stood near a well.

A white-robed young gentleman fished at the well’s edge.

Beside him dozed a hemp-clad middle-aged man.

Across the yard, a boy of seven struggled to hold two large stones aloft, face flushed with effort.

“Old Qin,” the gentleman called, “are there actually fish here?”

The middle-aged man jolted awake.

“Huh?”

“Did. You. Put. Fish. In. The. Well?”

“Yes,” the man grunted.

“Then why’s nothing biting? My brother’s arms might break soon.”

The gentleman nodded toward the trembling boy.

“Er…”

The middle-aged man scratched his head. “Must be your rotten luck.”

The two individuals were chatting when Pei Xuejian led Yang Lingrui to the courtyard.

“Master Yun, the guest has arrived,” Pei Xuejian announced with a bow.

“Here already?”

The handsome young gentleman set down her fishing rod and turned.

Yang Lingrui detected no fluctuations of spiritual energy from her—her cultivation level must’ve reached at least late-stage Gathering Qi.

“You’re Yang Lingrui? Relax and sit. I’m Su Lingyun.”

With a wave, Su Lingyun conjured two wooden chairs.

“My thanks, Young Master Su.”

Once seated, Yang Lingrui watched as Su Lingyun produced the talisman without preamble.

“This divine movement talisman belongs to your family?”

Yang Lingrui glanced at it. “Correct.”

“You made it?”

“No. One of our Elders crafted it.”

“What’s his story?”

Yang Lingrui’s chest tightened—the question hadn’t come from Su Lingyun, but from directly beside his ear.

The middle-aged man who’d been napping by the well now loomed over him, bringing crushing weight upon Yang Lingrui’s shoulders.

“Our Elder… once belonged to a distant sect. Learned Talisman Technique there… After his sect fell… he fled to Fish Ridge River. My ancestors… saved him from pursuers.”

Yang Lingrui forced the words through gritted teeth, fighting to remain upright.

“Hmm.”

The man tilted his head. “Not spinning tales, are you?”

The pressure redoubled. Yang Lingrui’s chair creaked as he nearly toppled forward.

“Truth… every word… wouldn’t dare lie…”

As the man raised his hand to intensify the technique, Yang Lingrui choked—black blood sprayed across the ground as he collapsed.

The pressure vanished instantly. The middle-aged man shot Su Lingyun a questioning glance.

Su Lingyun frowned at him before helping Yang Lingrui up. “Must you bully injured guests, Old Qin? No subtlety in that thick skull of yours.”

She patted Yang Lingrui’s shoulder. “Forgive his blunt methods. He’s about as delicate as a brick, but means well.”

_Means well. Right._

Yang Lingrui suppressed his anger and forced a smile. “I’m fine. The Elder must’ve been impatient. I understand.”

“Good that you understand.”

Su Lingyun helped him sit back on the wooden chair and continued questioning.

“Do you know which sect this Elder originally belonged to?”

“No. The Elder never spoke of it.”

“Oh…”

Buzz—

“Gah!!!”

A stabbing pain erupted in Yang Lingrui’s sea of consciousness, ten times worse than Zheng Huaming’s bell attack. He crumpled to the floor with a scream.

Chen Yang’s protective consciousness suddenly activated, deflecting the mental attack.

“Hm?”

Su Lingyun blinked in surprise. Her consciousness-piercing technique had been blocked. She immediately sensed the external origin of the defending force.

“Split divine awareness? An expert’s work!”

Her mind raced. Had the Yang Family been planted here by another faction? Would she be disrupting carefully laid plans?

Old Qin, the middle-aged man, noticed too. He hurried over and muttered, “Lingyun… are we meddling with another’s harvest?”

Su Lingyun leaned on her hand, considering. Projecting divine awareness was common, but splitting it? That required real skill – perhaps a Condensing Essence cultivator’s doing. Combined with Pei Xuejian’s report about Yang Lingrui’s pill-forced cultivation… exactly the reckless methods her own faction used for accelerating growth.

She hissed through her teeth and formed an incantation. Green light flowed from her fingers, mending Yang Lingrui’s damaged consciousness.

“Stop gawking! Help him!”

“Right!”

Old Qin channeled spiritual power into Yang Lingrui’s body, healing physical injuries.

After fifteen minutes, color returned to Yang Lingrui’s face. Su Lingyun smiled brightly while hoisting him up. “My apologies for losing control earlier. Let’s continue.”

Yang Lingrui slumped against the chair, eyes vacant, breath labored. This wasn’t conversation – it was interrogation. The Su Family members treated him like livestock, not a human.

But at that moment, he had no choice. If the other party wanted him dead, it would take but a thought.

Compelled by circumstances, he had to keep enduring.

After steadying his breathing, Yang Lingrui opened his eyes: “I… I’m alright. Miss Su, please proceed.”

“Heh heh.”

Su Lingyun rubbed her palms together. “Our Su Family holds a Talisman Inheritance managed by Old Qin. The crafting methods for divine movement talismans complement your family’s techniques, which might help their advancement. Therefore, I wish to purchase one hundred of your divine movement talismans for research.”

Originally, Su Lingyun had planned to make the Yang Family “voluntarily” surrender their Talisman Inheritance, or at least obtain a copied version. But considering potential schemes involving other families, she opted for purchasing existing talismans to avoid leaving evidence.

Yang Lingrui struggled to sit up, fingers brushing his storage bag. “Miss Su… *cough*… I only carry ten with me. The rest require our Elder’s approval to craft.”

“Naturally, naturally.”

Su Lingyun’s manner softened slightly, ceasing further torment. She produced a storage bag from her sleeve.

“One hundred inferior divine movement talismans for eight hundred spiritual crystals. For each superior-quality piece produced, I’ll add eight crystals. Superior quality ones fetch forty crystals each.” She pushed the bag forward. “This contains 1,300 crystals total – 800 for talismans, 500 as today’s compensation, plus three late-stage Gathering Qi rejuvenating elixirs. Deliver finished products to Moon Watching City’s Immortal Patrol Office.”

Yang Lingrui pretended fluster. “Miss Su, this is improper! I’ve done nothing to deserve—”

“Enough. Take it.”

Satisfied by his compliance, Su Lingyun shoved the bag into his hands.

With matters settled, the two individuals summoned Pei Xuejian to escort Yang Lingrui out.

“Which family’s behind this?” Su Lingyun asked by the well, gripping her fishing rod.

Old Qin shrugged. “Unclear. Since the monster tide disrupted everything, everyone’s scrambling for advantage.”

“We’ll leave it at that. My compensation was generous enough. If the real master complains later, I’ll just kowtow twice more.”

As she spoke, the boy practicing stone-lifting in the yard collapsed.

“My fish remains unhooked. Who permitted you to rest?”

“Elder… sister…”

*Whoosh*

An invisible mental attack struck. The mortal child convulsed once before lying still.

“Another worthless brother. With such trash around, when will I ever catch that fish?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep