Reed River City.

After achieving the Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul, Qi Yuan’s strength had soared to an entirely new level. He flew with incredible speed, soon arriving before a majestic, sprawling city.

The city walls stretched for over a hundred miles and towered more than thirty zhang high, resembling a colossal beast crouching at the foot of Canglan Mountain.

Reed River City was a crucial stronghold in the southwest of the Great Xia Kingdom. With a population of over a million, it was a melting pot where immortals and mortals mingled freely. Merchant caravans came and went in an endless stream, painting a picture of prosperous extravagance.

The Great Xia Imperial Court was a subordinate force under the Boundless Sacred Ground. However, it had always been respectful and submissive to the other Holy Lands as well, offering generous tributes year after year. Their strategy of mastering “social connections” had ensured the kingdom’s longevity and deep foundations. It was even rumored that a Dao Integration realm cultivator from the royal family oversaw the nation, making them a dominant power in their own right.

As the sun set, the streets and alleys still buzzed with pedestrians and the noise of spirit beasts. Qi Yuan strolled through the thoroughfares, feeling a nostalgic sense reminiscent of visiting temple fairs in his previous life.

Originally, he had planned to return directly to Falling Cloud Valley. However, halfway through his journey, he received a message from Liang Huai stating that the investigative mission had been completed. He decided to make a detour to Reed River City to personally inspect the results of the two Supreme Mystery Sanctuary disciples.

To have news in just six or seven days—truly worthy of elite disciples from a Holy Land. Their efficiency was impressive.

While taking in the local customs and scenery of Reed River City, Qi Yuan pondered silently.

Suddenly, his brow furrowed, and he instinctively glanced in a certain direction.

A thin figure in a black robe and hood was sneaking toward him furtively. The figure sidled up next to him and whispered in a low voice:

“A plate of braised pig’s head meat.”

What?

Qi Yuan was taken aback, his brain failing to process the random statement.

Seeing no reaction, the figure lowered his voice even further, sounding urgent. “A plate of braised pig’s head meat!”

This time, Qi Yuan heard it clearly. Instinct took over, and he blurted out the counter-phrase:

“Two taels of Old White Dry.”

Hearing this, the figure’s eyes lit up beneath the hood. He quickly lifted the cloth covering his face slightly, revealing a pair of shifty eyes that looked at Qi Yuan with intense excitement.

“The Heavenly King covers the earth tiger!”

Qi Yuan gave him a strange look. “The pagoda subdues the river demon. Who are you?”

The person’s tone grew even more fervent.

“The earthquake shakes the high ridge, a stretch of streams and mountains for a thousand ages…”

By now, Qi Yuan realized what was happening. Before the other could finish reciting the codes, he waved his hand dismissively, his expression peculiar.

“Cut the nonsense. Are you Lucky Li or Richie Zhang?”

The two names he mentioned were the Sanctuary disciples who had accepted the mission.

Seeing that Qi Yuan had even gotten their names right, the black-robed person broke into a delighted smile. He hurriedly pulled off his hood, revealing a round, chubby head.

“Comrade, I’ve finally found you! I’m Lucky Li. I came specifically to hand over the mission to you.”

Sure enough!

Qi Yuan’s mouth twitched, both amused and exasperated.

“Who told you these contact codes? And what on earth have you two been up to? You’re supposed to be dignified Sanctuary disciples, why are you acting like thieves?”

Lucky Li chuckled, a trace of pride in his expression. “These codes were taught to us by Deacon Liang from Jade Flower Peak. He said the person coming to verify the mission would definitely be able to answer them.”

“As for this getup… My brother and I figured that since the senior who posted this mission used an anonymous alias, it must mean he doesn’t want to reveal his identity. As Sanctuary disciples, we must consider our elder’s needs. We tried to keep a low profile during the investigation to avoid exposing you.”

You’re a real genius!

Qi Yuan was speechless.

He had devised some coded phrases for the patrol guards of Jade Flower Peak back in the day, but he never expected Liang Huai to put them to such creative use.

He had chosen anonymity mainly to avoid drawing attention from certain factions within the Sanctuary. The mission itself wasn’t shady. You two could have just done it openly and honestly. Was all this sneaking around really necessary?

Remembering his purpose for coming here, he suppressed his irritation and asked, “Where’s Richie Zhang?”

“Senior Brother Zhang is still waiting in a hidden location,” Lucky Li said with a serious face. “The more important the mission, the more we should operate separately. Otherwise, wouldn’t we be giving the enemy a chance to catch us all at once?”

Qi Yuan’s face darkened with black lines.

For crying out loud, the mission is already finished. What are you two still so nervous about?

Not wanting to waste any more time, Qi Yuan said directly, “Lead the way.”

Under Lucky Li’s guidance, they turned through four or five alleys, took seven or eight detours, and finally stopped in a quiet, secluded lane.

“Is he here?” Qi Yuan’s tone was tinged with impatience. He felt his tolerance nearing its limit.

Lucky Li gave a mysterious smile.

“Senior Brother Zhang is a master of infiltration. We just need to climb over a few more walls to get there.”

Qi Yuan: “…”

After scaling over a dozen walls, Lucky Li finally stopped in the courtyard of a deserted mansion and pointed to a dry well.

“Right here.”

Qi Yuan shook his head and followed him to the well.

“Senior Brother Zhang, I found the contact person. Come on out.”

Lucky Li leaned over the opening, poking his head in and calling out twice.

However, the well was silent. Apart from a hollow echo, there was no response.

Witnessing this scene, a vein throbbed faintly on Qi Yuan’s forehead. He really wanted to kick this troublemaker into the hole.

Lucky Li sheepishly pulled his head back, muttering, “That’s odd. Senior Brother Zhang was here last time. Could it be that because I haven’t contacted him for too long, he changed locations again?”

Just then, a large number of bubbles erupted from a calm pool of water in the corner of the courtyard. A chubby black figure burst from the surface.

“Haha! Didn’t expect that, did you, Junior Brother Li? This time, I hid in the water!”

The newcomer was tall and stout, wearing a wide bamboo hat. His entire body was tightly wrapped in a black aquatic suit, from which water droplets continuously dripped.

Lucky Li gave a thumbs-up. “Senior Brother Zhang! Not seeing you for a day, and your infiltration skills have improved again. I’m impressed.”

“Enough!”

Qi Yuan couldn’t take it anymore. He took a deep breath, trying hard to suppress the urge to hit someone. “Get to the point. How did you two complete the mission?”

” The mission is already finished. We were just waiting for someone to come and inspect the results.”

As he spoke, Richie Zhang cheerfully pulled a massive vat from the storage ring on his hand.

THUD!

He slammed it onto the ground, causing the entire courtyard to tremble three times.

“What is this?”

Qi Yuan focused his gaze. The large vat was filled to the brim with a grayish-white, ash-like substance. He couldn’t help but frown.

“To be honest,” Richie Zhang said, rubbing his plump hands together enthusiastically. “The mission was to investigate the missing cultivators, and it specifically noted that we needed to find them ‘alive or see their bodies if dead’. But all the victims had been drained of their flesh and blood essence. There were no people, no bodies, just some bone fragments left.”

“We couldn’t even tell their identities, let alone whether they were male or female. To keep evidence of completing the mission, we brothers had no choice but to bring back the ashes…”

Ashes?

Looking at the vat full of bone ash before him, Qi Yuan fell into deep thought.

Are these two messing with me?

How could the majestic Supreme Mystery Sanctuary produce two such… unique talents at the same time?

He now seriously suspected that these two must have pulled some strings during the entrance examination. “Dumb and Dumber” didn’t even begin to cover it.