“That’s where the Black Heart Old Man’s Blood Refining Hall headquarters was located back then. I’m worried they might have some unspeakable secrets, so I’ll let you go and investigate!”
“Your senior brother, Xiao Yicai, went there earlier. If you see him, you might as well ask him for advice! See if he has discovered the secret there!”
At this point, Dao Xuan glanced at Li Ling and called out, "A-Ling!"
"Disciple is here!" Li Ling replied, cupping his hands in greeting.
Dao Xuan instructed, "This time, the exploration of the Ten Thousand Bats Cave will not only involve the four of you, but also outstanding disciples from Burning Incense Valley and Heavenly Sound Temple."
"Our righteous sects are of one mind and should value harmony. But as the leader in this competition, you not only have to take charge of the overall situation, but you must also never disgrace our Qingyun Sect, understand?"
Li Ling thought to himself that it was just a matter of establishing authority by dismounting and making them understand the power of the Qingyun Sect. Even among the righteous sects, conflict was inevitable, and it was all the same old routine.
The thought crossed his mind, but Li Ling nodded quickly: "Please rest assured, Sect Leader!"
Dao Xuan wasn't sure if Li Ling had understood him, but seeing that Cang Song wasn't worried at all, he said, "Alright, you don't need to go back to your respective peaks anymore. Let's go down the mountain now!"
As Dao Xuan finished speaking, the four of them did not linger. After bidding farewell to the leaders of the seven sects, they left the Jade Purity Palace directly!
Flying on swords is forbidden within Tongtian Peak. The four of them walked all the way to the edge of the cloud sea before taking off on their swords. Four sword lights of different colors shot into the sky and headed down the mountain!
After flying into the sky and leaving the area of Qingyun Mountain a little, Zeng Shushu approached Li Ling with a grin and asked loudly, "Junior Brother, the Sect Leader has entrusted you with the power over the four of us. I'd like to ask how we get there?"
Li Ling laughed and said, "There's no rush. There's a town called Heyang at the foot of Qingyun Mountain, and there's a restaurant called Shanhaiyuan there. The food there is quite good. Anyway, it's not far away, so let's go and try it out!"
Upon hearing Li Ling's words, Zeng Shushu immediately beamed with joy, clearly knowing about the restaurant, while Lu Xueqi and Zhang Xiaofan were two honest children.
Zhang Xiaofan, in particular, said incredulously, "Ah Ling, our sect leader has entrusted us with such an important task. Shouldn't we be rushing to complete it?"
"Let's not waste any more time. If our sect leader finds out, we'll probably be punished!" (Wishing Star of All Realms)
------------
Chapter 348: The Beauty Biyao
With Zeng Shushu's strong support, Li Ling's proposal was implemented. The four of them flew on their swords to the outskirts of Heyang City and landed, then entered the city.
Upon arriving at Shanhaiyuan, a waiter immediately greeted them and respectfully asked, "How many guests are in your party?"
Zeng Shushu took over the conversation with remarkable composure, asking, "Little brother, do you still recognize me?"
"Oh my, isn't this Young Master Zeng? It's been quite a while since you last visited."
"Hmm, hurry up and find a good private room, and bring out all your signature dishes. Today's guests are all VIPs!"
"Alright, come on in!"
The waiter draped a towel over his shoulder and warmly led the four of them to a prime spot by the window on the second floor!
Li Ling remembered that he had met Zhou Yixian at this very spot the last time he came here, and he couldn't help but feel it was a coincidence. However, it had been almost three years since his last visit, and although the waiter hadn't changed, he probably wouldn't recognize him.
Zhang Xiaofan remarked, "Senior Brother Zeng, you seem quite familiar with this place."
"Hehehe." Zeng Shushu chuckled mischievously. "There's no other way. When I'm practicing flying on my sword, I naturally have to fly out."
"But for some reason, I always get so tired when I fly over Heyang City that I have to come down and rest for a bit, and then, well, junior brother, you know..."
Li Ling then chimed in, "I'm just curious, Senior Brother, where does your money come from to eat here? The food here isn't cheap."
Zeng Shushu's expression froze for a moment, then he said helplessly, "Don't even mention it. Because I often use his money, now I have to go to great lengths to find where Father hides his money!"
Zhang Xiaofan was stunned when he heard this! Lu Xueqi, who was next to him, also frowned.
Li Ling glanced at Lu Xueqi, who had been silent since descending the mountain, and said with a smile, "Junior Sister Lu, you don't need to worry. Actually, I visited Kongsang Mountain when I went down the mountain to travel last time, so it won't take up any time."
"Moreover, I noticed that your sword light was slightly unstable when you were controlling it just now. It seems that the injuries from the previous martial arts competition have not yet fully healed. Why don't I take a look at you, and then we can continue on our way with full speed!"
“That’s right, that’s right…” Zeng Shushu added from the side, “The Sleeping Fish here was specially transported by our sect leader from the ‘Zhugou Mountain’ in the south, thousands of miles away.”
"Only by surviving here can we enjoy such delicious food. This is his heartfelt gift, Junior Sister Lu. We must not let him down!"
As they spoke, the dishes were served one after another, among which a steamed fish with an excellent appearance attracted everyone's attention. It was truly a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.
Zeng Shushu was the first to pick up his chopsticks, take a piece, and put it in his mouth with great relish. After savoring the taste, he exclaimed with lingering delight, "Master Uncle, Master Uncle, thank you so much for your painstaking efforts! You have allowed us to enjoy such delicious food!"
"Pfft!" A disdainful chuckle came from the side.
"So it turns out that the old immortal Dao Xuan of Qingyun Sect brought this Sleeping Fish from afar just to satisfy the appetites of the people of Heyang City."
"He really went to great lengths for the people of Heyang City. He truly deserves to be called an old immortal. He even takes care of their basic needs like eating, drinking, and relieving themselves."
The voice was as melodious as a silver bell, and the words were as gentle as a spring breeze, though there was no shortage of sarcasm in them.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaofan and the other two suddenly stood up, angrily looking at a table not far behind them, but secretly becoming wary.
Everyone present was a cultivator, and their voices were extremely low. How could they have been overheard? Moreover, the other party's words clearly showed great disrespect for their sect leader and senior master. Could they be a demonic member of the Demonic Sect?
The next moment, all three of them, including Lu Xueqi, couldn't help but be slightly taken aback. They saw a large table not far behind them, with eight people sitting on it, and the two women were the leaders.
One of the women was veiled in black, obscuring her face, but her exposed skin was extremely white. However, what truly drew everyone's attention was another beautiful young woman dressed in a light green outfit!
Zeng Shushu muttered to himself, "My goodness, I thought Junior Sister Lu was already the most beautiful woman in the world. I never thought there would be anyone in this world who could compare to her. Heaven has really been kind to me, allowing me to meet such a beauty."
Li Ling was prepared, so he didn't show the slightest emotion. He reached out and patted Zhang Xiaofan on the shoulder. Seeing the admiration in Zhang Xiaofan's eyes, a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes. Suddenly, he called out loudly, "Senior Sister Tian, what brings you here?"
"Ahhhhhh..." Zhang Xiaofan panicked immediately, no longer caring about the beauty in front of him, and hurriedly waved his arms and cried out, "Senior Sister, I...I didn't mean to, I was just...by Senior Brother Zeng..."