“Fine, lead the way.” Shen Qingci set off immediately.
Yin Ruozhuo was dazed for a moment before snapping out of it and hurriedly catching up.
He led the way, with the two of them taking secluded paths to avoid crowds. They bypassed the martial arts arena, crossed through the abandoned old Pill Chamber, and avoided any fellow disciples they might have run into along the way.
Reaching a secluded corner of a cliff wall, Shen Qingci stopped.
“Shadow One.”
Shadow One stepped out from the shadows. Her face was hidden behind the thin veil hanging from her bamboo hat, obscuring her expression.
Yin Ruozhuo instinctively took half a step back.
Although he was the young master of the Furong Merchant Alliance and had met plenty of Soul Transformation cultivators, the aura radiating from Senior Shadow One was entirely different from those pampered guest elders.
It was an aura forged from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, thoroughly intimidating to the soul.
Seeing that Shadow One's appearance had indeed intimidated Yin Ruozhuo, Shen Qingci turned her head and reminded him, “Junior Brother Yin, give us the direction.”
Yin Ruozhuo snapped out of it and stammered out a location, “Oh, right, in... the northwest corner of the market town, right next to the outer edge of Yuanling Street...”
Shadow One reached out and placed her hands on their shoulders. In the next instant, space rippled, and the three of them vanished from the corner of the cliff wall.
When they reappeared, they were standing before the main gate of a five-courtyard residence in the market town.
Yin Ruozhuo leaned against the doorframe to catch his breath, his face pale.
Precisely because he had seen much of the world, he understood exactly what a Soul Transformation secret guard represented.
The Furong Merchant Alliance secretly maintained five Soul Transformation Enshrined Guardians, and every single one of them held their heads high, rarely ever stepping out of their cave dwellings.
Yet the one beside his senior sister was on call at any moment, living up to her name as a shadow.
Ultimately, his horizons were still too narrow; he had underestimated the heritage of a hidden great family.
Senior Sister Shen was too powerful a backer. If the Yin family clung to her tightly, maintaining their peace and prosperity for five thousand years would be an absolute certainty.
Why five thousand years?
He felt that, at most, his limit in this lifetime would be the peak of Soul Transformation.
As Yin Ruozhuo was pondering this, Shen Qingci calmly ordered toward the space behind her, “Shadow Seven, go to Yunqi Cave and invite Senior Sister over. Tell her a minor matter has cropped up at Wanjian Peak, and we need her to be a witness.”
A deep “Understood” echoed from the void, followed by a ripple that swept into the distance.
Yin Ruozhuo stepped forward and knocked on the door.
Before the sound of the knocker hitting the brass door guard could fade, the door was pulled open from within.
A cultivator over fifty years of age stood inside. He was thin, dressed in a long robe, and wore a dark jade belt hook at his waist.
His face was ordinary, but his eyes held the steady composure of someone who had seen much of the world.
“Young Master,” the elderly man bowed slightly to Yin Ruozhuo.
His gaze shifted to Shen Qingci, pausing for a brief moment before he immediately tucked his sleeves and clasped his hands in greeting. “This must be the Eldest Young Lady of the Shen family. I am Yin He, and I watch over this residence for the young master.”
Stepping aside, he gestured for them to enter. “Eldest Young Lady, please come inside. The young master sent word ahead that an honored guest would be arriving today. We have prepared some tea and spiritual fruit. They are quite simple, so please do not mind.”
Shen Qingci glanced at the dark jade belt hook.
The design of that belt hook was reserved only for first-tier managers within the merchant alliance, and there were fewer than ten of them in the entire Furong Merchant Alliance.
Understanding the situation, she gave a slight nod. “Manager Yin, you are too polite.”
Shen Qingci crossed the threshold, with Shadow One following closely behind.
Yin He walked a couple of steps behind to accompany them, speaking in an unhurried tone, as if they were just chatting. “For the Eldest Young Lady to possess such poise at such a young age, it is no wonder the young master praises you endlessly every time he mentions you.”
“I have seen many geniuses from prestigious families pass through the merchant alliance. If I may speak with the authority of my age, there is not a single one who can compare to the Eldest Young Lady.”
Coming from anyone else, these words would have sounded somewhat sycophantic.
But from Yin He's mouth, it sounded more like an experienced accountant evaluating a clearly profitable account—merely stating a fact.
Shen Qingci's lips curved up slightly as she casually asked, “How many years have you been with the merchant alliance, Manager Yin?”
Yin He adjusted his cuffs and smiled. “I entered the merchant alliance at sixteen, and it has been nearly eight hundred years now. I started as a young apprentice in a shop, operated flying vessels with the old master, and escorted shipments. Later, thanks to the old master's favor, I was given this managerial position.”
As they walked through the front courtyard, he casually plucked a withered leaf from a spiritual plant by the roadside.
Shifting the topic, he chatted about other things, “This residence is a private property I acquired for the young master last year. It is quiet and peaceful, situated near Yuanling Street but away from the main road.”
“The neighbors on both sides are long-time residents who do legitimate business in the market. Random strangers rarely come around here.”
“Rest assured, Eldest Young Lady, no one else within a ten-mile radius will know that the mother and daughter are staying here.”
She glanced at Yin He. “Very well.”
Yin He waved his hand. “It is only my duty.” As he spoke, they reached the entrance of the main hall. He pushed the door open first and stood to the side. “This is the main hall. Please have a seat, Eldest Young Lady. The mother and daughter will be here shortly.”
He clapped his hands, and four Golden Core guards walked in from the courtyard. The leader held the hand of a little girl around three years old, followed by a young female cultivator dressed in a moon-white shirt.
As the female cultivator entered, Yin He whispered an order to a nearby maid, “Tell the kitchen to be quick. If the child gets hungry later, we should have some spiritual food ready to fill her stomach.”
Turning back to the female cultivator, he said warmly, “Madam, there is no need to be tense. This Eldest Young Lady Shen is the young master's senior sister, and she is highly reasonable.”
“If you have anything to say, please sit down and speak slowly.”
He bowed to Shen Qingci, then pulled his foolish young master along as they withdrew.
Before leaving, he partially closed the main hall's door, leaving only a crack about half a palm wide.
Once the door was slightly ajar, the guards set the child down and retreated to wait under the corridor, leaving only the mother and daughter standing in the hall.
The female cultivator pulled the little girl tighter into her arms, keeping her head lowered and refusing to take a seat.
Shen Qingci sat in the host's seat, with Shadow One standing beside her, deliberately concealing her presence.
She did not resort to harshness right away; her attitude could even be described as gentle. “Please, sit first. The child is small, and standing for too long is tiring. Take your time to explain. If it is something I can help with, I will not refuse.”
The female cultivator looked up, then quickly lowered her eyes again.
“I will only speak with Ji Lanyi. If I cannot see her, I will say nothing.”
“Madam, you cannot see my eldest senior sister right now,” Shen Qingci said, leaning against the armrest and lying to her.
“She is on a mission in the Desolate Ancient Ruins. It could take two to three years at the shortest, and she might not return even after five. Since you made a special trip here, you shouldn't leave empty-handed. Tell me what you have to say; it carries the same weight.”
“Heh, the same weight?” A trace of bitterness appeared on the female cultivator's face. “When it comes to a child, who can decide but her own mother?”
Shen Qingci looked at her and did not respond to that.
She leaned back against her chair, interlacing her fingers and resting them lightly on her lap. Her posture was relaxed, her expression calm, as she quietly analyzed the facts.
“Since you claim the child is my eldest senior sister's, let me ask you a few things.”
“My eldest senior sister has not left the sect for the past five years. Her mission scrolls are recorded in the Deacon Hall, and this can be verified with the Peak Master's seal. The child in your arms is three years old at most.”
“From pregnancy to birth, it takes at least ten months. Working backward, this child would have been conceived four years ago.”
“Four years ago, where was my eldest senior sister?”
The female cultivator's lips parted slightly.
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