However, Lou Yi felt the other party's attitude toward him was not particularly good; it should be not only because his cultivation was low but also because there seemed to be some resentment toward Zhang Li.

Could it be they think I'm just here to 'ride on someone's coattails' and steal credit?

The three of them stood under the tree, waiting for the other two who hadn't arrived yet.

Not far away, two female cultivators were walking shoulder to shoulder.

One was older, and one was younger.

The older one appeared to be in her thirties, with a gentle appearance and a hint of charm between her brows.

The younger one looked about twenty, had a tall stature, and an extremely cold and alluring face that left a deep impression.

The elder woman spoke softly, "Junior sister, this mission is to eliminate evil cultivators.

Although their cultivation isn't high, evil cultivators' methods are ultimately sinister, so be extremely careful; remember not to stray too far from me."

"Thank you for your concern, senior sister. Qingyi understands the dangers."

"You, I'm always confident in you; you have good talent and are diligent. Our master's future legacy depends on you to carry it forward." The elder woman praised her junior sister, then shifted the topic,

"However, matters of feelings should be handled with caution. Before reaching Foundation Establishment, avoid them completely.

Many female cultivators were extraordinarily brilliant, but after engaging in romance, their cultivation speed severely decreased, ultimately becoming average, which is heartbreaking!"

"Rest assured, senior sister, Qingyi is focused on the Dao.

Romance is like a fleeting cloud and won't affect my cultivation in any way." The young woman said firmly.

"That's good. I previously heard you had a childhood friend who was always pestering you; he's still at Disciple Peak.

From now on, don't interact with him..." The elder woman continued her chatter.

"That's a rumor!" The young woman suddenly said with some embarrassment and anger, "I was never childhood friends with that person; we have always been clean and clear, and there's no involvement.

Besides, he shouldn't have any intentions toward me either..."

"That's uncertain; junior sister, you probably don't realize how alluring you are. If I were a man, I might even be enchanted." The elder woman laughed.

"Senior sister, please don't tease Qingyi..."

The young woman was speaking when she suddenly stopped.

She looked ahead at a familiar figure, and an unbelievable surprise appeared in her eyes.

'Lou Yi, why is he here?'

'His cultivation is only at Qi Cultivation Level Two; how can he participate in such a dangerous task as eliminating evil cultivators?'

'Or is it... even if he really... he shouldn't disregard his own life...' Thinking of the elder sister's previous words, the young woman's heart grew anxious, and she strode forward.

Hearing someone approaching, Lou Yi looked over and was also taken aback.

The two approaching women were both dressed in light blue Daoist robes.

One appeared to be in her thirties, with an unfamiliar face that he had never seen before.

But the other was extremely familiar, with skin like jade and a face like ice, embodying an aura of 'do not approach.'

Isn't this the Inner Sect Disciple You Qingyi?

Zhang Zhiqiang stepped forward and smiled, "Fellow Daoist Yang, long time no see.

This is your junior sister, right? Truly talented; so young yet promoted to the Inner Sect, a boundless future!"

He introduced the people behind him, Du Xing and Lou Yi: "This is Brother Du, whom you should know; he was in last time's Inner Sect competition top ten... This is Junior Brother Lou; don't be fooled by his low cultivation, his martial arts prowess is truly remarkable."

"Greetings, fellow Daoists."

The middle-aged woman referred to as Fellow Daoist Yang smiled and nodded at Zhang Zhiqiang, Du Xing, and Lou Yi.

Even though Lou Yi's cultivation was low, her eyes showed no contempt.

While wondering why her junior sister hadn't greeted anyone yet,

She saw You Qingyi suddenly walk quickly past her side.

You Qingyi walked up to Lou Yi, her face cold, and pulled him by his sleeve toward the outside: "Come with me."

Lou Yi was a bit surprised but still went along to the side with her.

"This task is too dangerous; you're only at Qi Cultivation Level Two. What are you here for?"

"Do you know how formidable those evil cultivators' methods are? You haven't reached Qi Cultivation Middle Stage, haven't practiced any defense magic, even just getting a bit closer could risk your life!"

You Qingyi's face was frosty, with a tone full of reprimand.

Lou Yi was somewhat bewildered, not understanding what had happened, but since she was concerned for his safety, it was well-intentioned.

Thinking it over, Lou Yi decided to tell her the truth: "This task, someone invited me to assist from the side..."

Unexpectedly, You Qingyi became angrier upon hearing it.

'You're only at Qi Cultivation Level Two, and someone would invite you to help, who are you fooling?'

'I was worried it was just my imagination, but now you spew such a clumsy lie without hesitation...'

'But even if there's affection, one cannot neglect their own life, can they?'

You Qingyi's thoughts raced, and she said coldly, "Brother Lou should think clearly; evil cultivators are powerful. If a battle occurs, we might not be able to protect you.

Don't let a heart demon cloud your judgment; as cultivators, we should prioritize the Dao!"

You Qingyi put down those two sentences and then turned around and left.

She still didn't have the courage to speak too bluntly.

Lou Yi thought carefully for a moment, but already understood what You Qingyi meant.

'What is this? Are we filming a period drama?'

He shook his head and returned to the team.

He found that Du Xing, Zhang Zhiqiang, Yang Haiying, and others were all looking at him with strange eyes.

Especially Yang Haiying, whose gaze had a bit of warning in it.

Before they even set off, Lou Yi had already left a negative impression on two people in the team.

One person considered him a hanger-on, and another saw him as a stumbling block to the little junior sister's cultivation mind.

Lou Yi also felt helpless.

He could only say that the discrimination martial artists face in the cultivation realm is too great to be corrected overnight.

The five members of the mission were already gathered. They all mounted peculiar horses with azure hair and a single horn on their foreheads and rode down the mountain.

These horses were called Wind Spirit Horses.

When running, wind formed under their hooves, and their speed was several times that of ordinary horses.

Moreover, they had gentle natures and great endurance, commonly used by low-tier cultivators for transportation.

However, the rental fee was not cheap, costing ten taels of silver a day, rented from the Spirit Horse Stable of Guest Welcoming Peak.

The group rode swiftly until near nightfall when they finally reached Wei City.

Wei City was a small town on the border of Zhao Kingdom.

The County Magistrate in the city had already received news of Lou Yi and his group's arrival in advance and had been waiting at the city gate with two rows of soldiers.

"Honorable Immortal Masters, your journey must have been tiring.

I have prepared a banquet to welcome and refresh you..." Wei City Magistrate actively stepped forward, bowing low with a flattering smile on his face.

He was a middle-aged man with a black cap and a dark blue round-collared robe, looking prosperous with fair skin, and his two mouse-like mustaches were particularly noticeable.

Who knew, upon hearing the Magistrate's words, Du Xing's expression suddenly turned cold. Sitting on the Wind Spirit Horse, he harshly reprimanded, "We are here to deal with the evil ones, not to socialize. Hurry and take us to the crime scene!"

"Yes, you are right, Immortal Master, it was my oversight." Despite being chastised by Du Xing while he was still mounted, the Wei City Magistrate did not dare to get angry and instead apologized with a sheepish smile.

He turned to a middle-aged official who looked like a chief constable and said, "Chief Li, you are in charge of leading the way and taking the masters to Landlord Jiang's residence.

For any needs the masters have on the way, you must do your very best to fulfill them!"

"Certainly!" Chief Li clasped his hands in agreement.

He reached out his hand and pointed ahead: "Please follow me, honored masters."

Lou Yi and his group dismounted and walked into the city on foot, with soldiers coming over to lead the horses away and feed them.

'This Du fellow puts on such airs, treating the Wei City Magistrate like a servant,' thought Lou Yi as he sighed inwardly.

Once a common person steps into the immortal path, their identity and status change dramatically.

The worldly powers that one once feared and looked up to may become insignificant once they become a cultivator.

Of course, this also greatly relates to the Wei City Magistrate being a low-level official.

If it were a high-ranking official, Du Xing certainly wouldn't dare to be so rude.

In the three years since joining the sect, Lou Yi had somewhat heard about the matters between Zhao Kingdom and the Corpse-Driving Sect.

As the sect backing Zhao Kingdom, their relations were deeply rooted, with over a thousand years of complex intertwining, forming a situation where they were deeply embedded within each other.

Many figures in Zhao's upper echelons had the backing of powerful figures from the Corpse-Driving Sect, allowing them to maintain their footing domestically.

For example, the father of You Qingyi, Grand General You, was known to hold significant power and resources that many true inheritors within the sect sought to curry favor with.

With various thoughts turning over in his mind, Lou Yi followed Du Xing and the others, and soon arrived at Landlord Jiang's residence.

From the looks of it, the Jiang Mansion was indeed quite large, with blue-tiled roofs and overhanging eaves, and walls extending beyond sight.

The square outside the main gate was paved with white bricks, looking quite level.

The iron gate painted in red was now sealed with a strip of white paper bearing black characters.

Chief Li walked up and carefully removed the seal, slowly pushing open the iron gate.

They had not taken more than a few steps inside before their expressions changed.

In the courtyard, four or five rows of corpses were laid out neatly, including men, women, young, and old, totaling perhaps thirty or forty?

And their deaths were even more tragic.

Each of them was skin and bones, with dried and waxy yellow skin tightly stretched over skeletons, looking as if it could be torn away with a light touch.

Their chest ribs were grotesquely protruding, and their sunken eye sockets looked like black holes.

Their mouths gaped open, with jaws turning blue, lips cracked and peeling down to the chin, as if they were in a silent laugh...

Seeing all this, a deep chill involuntarily welled up in everyone's hearts.

...

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