After confirming that the item was indeed correct, Mu Wenyan handed it over to Li Nanzhu.
"Little Junior Sister, you keep this. You can do whatever you want with it."
"For me? But First Senior Brother, you worked so hard to get this."
Li Nanzhu hesitated. If she didn’t take it, she didn’t know how her First Senior Brother would handle it. If it was simply tucked away, she wasn't sure if that elder would ever find another way to purge the demon qi.
Or perhaps Cang Dongqing might find another opportunity elsewhere to reconnect with the Wuji Sect.
Fundamentally, she wanted to sever the connection between Cang Dongqing and the Wuji Sect, even if only temporarily.
Mu Wenyan simply offered a gentle smile.
"I originally went to get it for your sake anyway. You deserve the best of everything. Besides, I trust that you will handle it well, won't you?"
He had noticed the flicker of worry on Li Nanzhu's face the moment he mentioned the item was for a Wuji Sect elder. At the time, he hadn't known what she was worried about, but he guessed it had something to do with the profound light glazed wood.
Li Nanzhu had remained on the periphery later, seemingly searching for something. It wasn't until he discovered someone had intruded upon the barrier that he realized his little junior sister was likely worried about someone interfering.
Thus, he handed it to her, believing that the Wuji Sect would ultimately still obtain the glazed wood.
They would just have to pay a bit of a price for it. After all, who told them to bully his little junior sister before?
"Then, thank you, First Senior Brother."
Li Nanzhu carefully placed it into her storage bag before discussing the recent events with Duan Xianxing.
"I also felt someone enter the barrier, but there was no damage. It felt..."
It felt as though the intruder had momentarily merged with the barrier.
Mu Wenyan found it somewhat eerie, but telling the two of them now would only cause unnecessary worry. He would have personally investigated it if given the chance.
"Regardless, Li Nanyi did hurt you. Once we return, your First Senior Brother will take you to teach him a secret lesson."
"First Senior Brother is the best!"
"Take me along too!"
With the item in hand and only half a day left before the secret realm closed, they prepared to leave.
Mu Wenyan found Duan Xianxing's flying speed too slow and simply took him along this time. However, Duan Xianxing did not receive the same gentle treatment as Li Nanzhu.
Mu Wenyan’s response to his complaints was simple: if he didn't want to sit, he could get off.
Duan Xianxing wept silently.
Where had the gentle First Senior Brother of the past gone? In the past, even if he refused, he was never this blunt.
But at least this time, he could cultivate together with his little junior sister.
He wouldn't be isolated by his First Senior Brother and little junior sister anymore!
...
On the other side, Cang Dongqing and Li Nanyi had found a safe place to rest.
Thanks to the pill Li Nanyi had contributed, Cang Dongqing's complexion looked much better, though she remained pale.
In particular, because this injury was so close to her dantian, she would need to recuperate for two or three months even after returning to the sect. Her breakthrough to foundation establishment would be delayed indefinitely.
"Little Junior Sister, how did you provoke them? This injury is quite severe. Sigh, I told you not to go in earlier, especially since not even the Wuji Sect people were there..."
Cang Dongqing was already feeling frustrated, and Li Nanyi's constant nagging about how she shouldn't have gone in only made it worse. If he hadn't arrived so late, or if he had gone in first, would she have fallen into a trap?
However, she still had to rely on Li Nanyi to protect her as they exited the secret realm, so she could only force a strained smile.
"Yes, Fifth Senior Brother, I was reckless. It won't happen again."
Li Nanyi wanted to lecture her a bit more—she had used up his most prized life-saving pill after all—but seeing her pale face, he ultimately just took a deep breath and fell silent.
...
Mu Wenyan's flying sword was very fast. In just an hour and a half, they returned to the outer edge of the Flowing Cloud Secret Realm.
Duan Xianxing had wanted to kill a few more demonic beasts, but Li Nanzhu wanted to deal with the profound light glazed wood as quickly as possible. If they waited until the secret realm closed, they might bump into the Wuji Sect. With so many eyes around, it was better to leave early.
Fortunately, the Flowing Cloud Secret Realm didn't have a fixed exit time; they could leave through the entrance whenever they wished.
Li Nanzhu's intuition proved correct. The Wuji Sect members did indeed lie in wait at the exit later. When they had returned to the canyon, they only found traces of Mu Wenyan's battle and no sign of the profound light glazed wood, realizing the trio must have taken it.
They waited at the entrance, trying to find those three, but they ultimately came up empty-handed.
Meanwhile, Li Nanzhu had her First Senior Brother take them to Yunyin City near the Wuji Sect, where they consigned the profound light glazed wood to the Yunyin Auction House.
It could only be sold via auction. Naturally, everyone knew that only the Wuji Sect needed such an item, so no one would go out of their way to compete for it—especially not on the Wuji Sect's own doorstep.
Mu Wenyan handled the follow-up. With his cultivation level, even if the auction house leaked their identities, he had nothing to fear.
Since major cities were connected by teleportation arrays, the three of them simply paid thirty low-grade spirit stones to return to Qingyun City.
Mu Wenyan went ahead to report to Feng Yi, while Li Nanzhu and Duan Xianxing enjoyed the food and drinks in Qingyun City. This time, she remembered to buy supplies. She then went with Duan Xianxing to the Qingyun Auction House to exchange all their gains from the secret realm for spirit stones.
The auction house manager, seeing that the number of carcasses they provided was several times greater than the last time, became increasingly respectful.
"If you two young friends could wait a moment... the quantity you've provided this time is quite large. Our boss would like to meet you, if you would do us the honor?"
The boss?
The two exchanged a look, and Li Nanzhu nodded in agreement.
Before long, they met the owner of the Qingyun Auction House.
"I heard the manager mention you two last time, and I finally get to meet you. Truly, the youth of today are remarkable! My surname is Yan. How may I address the two of you?"
The newcomer was an elegant middle-aged man. Judging by his aura, his cultivation was likely at the Golden Core stage. The two naturally wouldn't snub him.
"Boss Yan is too kind. My surname is Nan, and my brother's is Xing. May I ask what important matter Boss Yan has with us siblings?"
"So it is Little Friend Nan and Little Friend Xing. It's like this: I am very impressed that you two can produce foundation establishment demonic beast carcasses every time. It's only natural to have gains since the Flowing Cloud Secret Realm opened recently. However, could you perhaps tell me if we can continue to cooperate in the future? It would put my mind at ease to know."
Li Nanzhu understood the meaning behind his words. By pointing out they had just come from the Flowing Cloud Secret Realm, he was showing he had plenty of intelligence. His offer for future cooperation was a test of their background.
If there was no future cooperation, it meant nothing. But if they continued, he would likely try to gauge whether these beasts were killed by a power behind them—making them mere messengers—or if they did it themselves.
Either way, the result would influence his future attitude toward them.
"Boss Yan, let's be blunt. There's no need for tests. We just benefited from our First Senior Brother's help and lucked out on a few leftovers in the Flowing Cloud Secret Realm. However, we have a good relationship with our senior brother, so we should be able to run errands for him again in the future."
Seeing his intent exposed, Boss Yan didn't feel awkward. He smiled and nodded.
"It was indeed a bit forward of me. As an apology, please accept this gift."
He handed over a black card.
"This is a VIP card for our Qingyun Auction House. With this card, you can receive a twenty percent discount at any merchant bearing the Qingyun Auction House logo. Furthermore, you will have access to private booths during auctions."
"Then, thank you, Boss."
After receiving their spirit stones, Li Nanzhu and Duan Xianxing didn't linger and headed straight back to the Five Elements Dao Sect.
"What an interesting pair."
Boss Yan watched them leave with a beaming smile.
One could reach the mid-stage of foundation establishment at sixteen or seventeen, while the other broke through from level four to level six of qi condensation within a single month. They were not at all inferior to that genius girl from the Sword Heart Sect.
Claiming to be running errands for their First Senior Brother was likely only half-true.
He truly looked forward to seeing how much profit these two could bring him in the future.
Rate on N.U.
