Chapter 564: The World's Greatest Plunge~
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Stuffing fine wine and delicacies into her mouth, Li Shiyu felt she'd wasted away from the strain of recent days!
Faced with her senior sister's praise, Li Shiyu responded with a silly chuckle before burying her head back in her food.
"Oh my~ Look how exhausted our Shiyu is! Come on, eat more. Xu Zhanfeng, charge it all to my tab today. Second Madam can have whatever she wants!"
Li Shiyu's wide eyes grew even larger at the words, as if she'd heard something utterly unbelievable!
"Senior Sister! You're so kind! Shiyu loves Senior Sister! Shiyu and Senior Sister are the best of friends in the whole world~"
Ye Qinghan merely smiled. The strength and composure Li Shiyu had displayed this time far exceeded her expectations. Her junior sister wasn't foolish at all—she was incredibly clever!
Though Ye Qinghan suspected that intelligence stemmed mostly from fear of death, regardless of the reasoning, Li Shiyu had single-handedly cleared the deadly trap with her own strength, successfully carrying her as dead weight.
As for the task Master had assigned, Li Shiyu had not only completed it flawlessly but exceeded expectations!
This forced Ye Qinghan to reassess the Li Shiyu standing before her.
Even now, Ye Qinghan still indulged her, but if something truly happened or they encountered enemies, Ye Qinghan felt he could confidently entrust matters to Li Shiyu.
"Alright~ Senior Sister, you and Shiyu are the best pair in the world~"
Ye Qinghan felt she had picked up this childish way of speaking, just like how Xiao Ai used to coax their Master.
But Ye Qinghan couldn't quite manage it yet. After all, her master never acted spoiled or revealed any hidden sides to her. In front of her, the master always presented a completely dependable image.
Just like that scene she glimpsed while trailing behind Xiao Ai—her master could be a lazybones in bed, even indulging in sweet talk with Xiao Ai!
Ye Qinghan felt envious, but she wouldn't dare hope for the same treatment as Lord Gu Ai.
"Is it tasty?"
"Delicious! Sister, you should try some too!" Li Shiyao wolfed down her food, devouring everything with such gusto that it seemed nothing could satisfy her. This formed a stark contrast to Xu Zhanfeng, who sat beside her eating with the utmost refinement.
Ye Qinghan smiled and decided to ask about recent rumors she'd heard: "Steward Xu, I heard something happened?"
The moment the words left her mouth, Xu Zhanfeng visibly stiffened, his small hands trembling slightly…
"What exactly does the First Lady wish to know?"
Ye Qinghan studied Xu Zhanfeng. He clearly had something he wasn't saying—was he afraid she would blame him?
"First, tell me about matters in the Lingxian Hall. What has the Master been doing lately?"
Xu Zhanfeng, who had always been completely open with Ye Qinghan, spoke frankly: "These past days, the Grand Elder has been guiding Miss Miaomiao in her cultivation. Not long ago, he summoned me and Elder Yulan to ask if we knew the art of flying swords."
Ye Qinghan froze for a moment before bursting into laughter!
"Heh~ How amusing."
If anyone didn't know the Master, she certainly did.
Master's sword-riding technique back then was fake! Master didn't even have cultivation, let alone the ability to ride a sword!
To put it plainly, Master was simply placing the flying sword beneath his feet while in midair, pretending it was sword-riding!
The reality? A world of difference!
Later, as the Master gradually regained strength, she didn't need sword riding at all. And now that her cultivation has reached the Spirit Transformation Realm, she could probably soar into the air with a single thought—why bother with sword riding?
While mastering sword flight might be of little practical use to the master himself, if one intends to teach disciples, one must not only possess the skill but also be able to articulate it clearly and explain it thoroughly, right?
"What about outside? Is there anything interesting happening out there?"
Ye Qinghan smiled as she looked at Xu Zhanfeng. So much time had passed now, and Xu Zhanfeng had the honor of dining with both grandmothers. This clearly showed Ye Qinghan's attitude—Grandmother didn't treat her as an outsider.
At this moment, Ye Qinghan was also doing her utmost to appear kind and benevolent, signaling that she was open to candid conversation.
"Um… Grandma, have you heard about the Eastern Region?"
As the words fell, Ye Qinghan instantly fixed her gaze on Li Shiyu.
Unsurprisingly, though Li Shiyao appeared oblivious to the world around her, her wolfishly devouring movements had clearly paused!
But it was only for a moment. Li Shiyu continued her frantic replenishment of spiritual energy. Ye Qinghan made no move to call her out on it. Enjoying being pampered was perfectly reasonable—it was Shiyu's style.
"Care to elaborate?"
Xu Zhanfeng nodded and began his tale.
In the Eastern Domain lies a river known as the Black Tower River. This river stretches a hundred miles, traversing two mountain ranges. Humans seldom venture here; it's mostly inhabited by Demon Clans or spirit beasts.
"About half a month ago, Elder Yu Lan sent word that the Grand Elder intended to unite the Four Regions for an unprecedented cultivation martial arts competition. He asked me to arrange for people to travel to the Eastern Region and deliver messages to the various lords."
Ye Qinghan propped her chin on her hand, listening intently. Instantly, she sensed something was amiss!
"Whoa… Isn't that usually Elder Cangjue's responsibility?"
Xu Zhanfeng, hearing this, dared not conceal the truth and could only respond honestly.
"Elder Cangjue seems to have departed for Lingxian Hall half a month ago. He likely has other pressing matters to attend to. I'm not entirely sure."
Ye Qinghan nodded slowly, a cold sneer forming in her mind. What other important matters? He just wants to sneak around while she's away!
However, Ye Qinghan didn't press further at that moment, merely gesturing for Xu Zhanfeng to continue.
To ensure all Eastern Domain lords take this matter seriously, I dispatched three Soul Transformation Stage and four Yuanying-stage experts to deliver the message. I expect no further complications.
But one of my Soul Transformation Stage cultivators went missing west of the Black Tower River, near Iron Case Mountain. By the time I found him, he was already dead.
Ye Qinghan paused, not because the death of a Soul Transformation Stage cultivator was particularly shocking. Having risen to her current stature, she understood well that there were always those more powerful than oneself.
Soul Transformation Stage cultivators weren't exactly rare either. Meeting her was simply a matter of fate being as thin as paper.
But to vanish without a trace…
Cultivators beyond the Spirit Transformation stage? Even within Ye Qinghan's understanding, such beings were few and far between. If it were truly one of those old masters, Xu Zhanfeng should have received word by now.
Could it be some reclusive cultivator, or a newly emerged formidable foe?
"This is interesting…"
Seeing Ye Qinghan's expression of disdain, as if reproaching him for incompetence, Xu Zhanfeng hastily pledged his commitment.
"Rest assured, Madam. Give me two more days, and I'll deliver results!"
However, Ye Qinghan merely smiled and waved her hand dismissively as she regained her composure.
"On my way here, I passed through Lingyuan Town and heard rumors of a terrifying figure emerging in the Eastern Domain—one even more fearsome than the achievements of Ye Yama. They say this being annihilated four sects in just three days, leaving not a single trace of their headquarters intact. Might Steward Xu be aware of this matter?"
Xu Zhanfeng broke out in a cold sweat. "Madam, I have indeed heard rumors of this, but I haven't been able to confirm them yet, so…"
Ye Qinghan nodded. She truly had no intention of reprimanding Xu Zhanfeng; it had merely been a passing curiosity. Yet observing his current state, this matter likely held more than met the eye…
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