The imperial concubine is charming and coquettish, she crazily criticizes the tyrant for spoiling he

Hearing Xiao Hui's reply, Qing Sang nodded with satisfaction. She hadn't taken Xiao Hui as her disciple because of her talent, but because of her tenacious vitality. Only by being self-reliant can one go far.

Since they had met, they headed out of the Hundred Miasma Forest together. Along the way, Xiao Hui told Bai Qianhe about their experiences after they separated. After parting ways with Qing Sang, Xiao Hui decided to train herself. She originally wanted Bai Qianhe to go out and wait for them, but unexpectedly, Bai Qianhe didn't go out and followed them. They then trained together in the Hundred Miasma Forest. They even figured out a way to release spiritual energy to envelop their bodies and isolate themselves from the miasma, but this consumed a lot of spiritual energy. When their spiritual energy was exhausted, they would go out of the Hundred Miasma Forest to rest, and then go back in. This back and forth meant they spent more and more time in the Hundred Miasma Forest, and their teamwork became increasingly seamless. With Er Fu occasionally assisting them, both the human and the beast greatly improved. This time, they were well-prepared and planned to continue to the center of the Hundred Miasma Forest to see if they could find a Gu vein, but unexpectedly, they encountered Qing Sang and the others along the way.

Qing Sang briefly explained the situation of the Gu Clan and outlined their plans to travel to Zhongzhou. Luo Ziqin and Yan Wangshan immediately responded that Zhuiyue City lacked a teleportation array to Zhongzhou, while their Ziye City did, and earnestly invited them to join them.

So, after leaving the Hundred Miasma Forest and briefly resting in Moon Chasing City, they used the city's teleportation array to go directly to Midnight City. In Midnight City, they received a warm welcome from the city lord, who presented them with many gifts as a token of gratitude. Qing Sang accepted the gifts without hesitation. Then, after the teleportation array was activated, they headed directly to Central Continent.

The teleportation array from Midnight City led them to Xi City, a western city in Zhongzhou. Xi City was named so because it was located on the edge of the desert, offering stunning views of sunrises and sunsets. They arrived just in time for sunset, witnessing the breathtaking beauty of the setting sun over the long river – a sight they had never seen in the Four Spirit Continents or even the Blue Creek Continent.

"This place truly lives up to its name, Xi City!" Even Qingluo couldn't help but exclaim.

"Let's find a place to rest first!" It's already evening, and they need to rest here for the night. She had sent a message to Yun He as soon as she came out of the teleportation array. Yun He had left her a communication talisman; once she reached the Central Continent, she could use it to contact Yun He. They could wait for news here before going directly to find Yun He.

This small desert town exudes exotic charm. The women on the streets wear brightly colored, figure-hugging dresses, their bells jingling as they walk, and thin headscarves partially obscuring their faces and exposed skin, creating an air of mystery and allure. The men wear loose robes and round hats with brims that droop down to cover their necks. Instead of horses, the pedestrians lead tall camels laden with heavy loads.

They found a hotel that looked relatively spacious and clean. As soon as they entered, they were stared at by the people in the lobby, whose eyes revealed scrutiny and suspicion.

The shopkeeper greeted them warmly. "Are you here for a stay or a meal?"

"We need three superior rooms." Qing Sang calmly answered the innkeeper's question, ignoring the stares of the others. When traveling, they still needed to be vigilant, so sharing a room would allow them to look out for each other. Therefore, Qing Luo and Bai Yunhe shared a room, Qing Sang and Xiao Hui shared a room, and Liu Shuangyue and Lan Suyu shared a room.

"Alright!" The shopkeeper quickly took out three number plates and handed them to them. "Please go upstairs!" A waiter immediately came up and led them up.

"Please prepare meals for six people and send them upstairs," Qing Sang instructed. They usually ate in the lobby downstairs to gather information. However, something felt off about this inn today. The scrutinizing looks from the people entering, the waiter's unusually light footsteps—all these things suggested something was amiss. Avoiding them would actually allow them to gather more information more easily.

The group gathered in Qing Sang's room, while Liu Shuangyue transformed into mist to conceal herself and went downstairs to gather information. She returned to her room when the waiter brought the food and sat down. After the waiter left, she shared what she had heard with everyone while eating.

"As soon as we went upstairs, those people started discussing it. A while ago, a divine artifact appeared in Zhongzhou, causing all sorts of people to rush to grab it. Originally, it was thought that this divine artifact would either fall into the hands of the First Gate, Tianluo Gate, or the Zhaixing Tower, but unexpectedly, it was taken away by a monk from Lanxi Continent ahead of time. Not only did they fail to snatch it, but many of them were also seriously injured by that monk. So the entire Zhongzhou felt humiliated, and on one hand, they sent people to Lanxi Continent to find that monk and try to take back the divine artifact; on the other hand, it is said that Zhaixing Tower divined that another divine artifact would appear in the Ten Thousand Mountains, so some people went to the Ten Thousand Mountains. Just now, those people downstairs saw that we were obviously dressed as people from Lanxi Continent, so they suspected our purpose in coming to Zhongzhou at this time." Liu Shuangyue briefly summarized the content of the conversation among the people downstairs.

"The Ten Thousand Mountains?" Qing Sang frowned and exchanged a glance with Qing Luo. Wasn't that her mother's territory? She remembered that when her father, Qing Wu Hui, left Dong Qin, he said he'd received news that her mother was in trouble. Now, with the news of the divine artifact, the Ten Thousand Mountains were probably in complete chaos. Originally, Qing Sang wanted to find her master, Yun He, to have her divine the direction of the divine artifact that her heart had transformed into. She hadn't expected to know now. She had a premonition that those divine artifacts in the Ten Thousand Mountains were very likely her heart.

Just as she was contemplating whether to go find Yun He or head directly to the Ten Thousand Mountains, the communication talisman flashed, and Yun He sent a message: "I'm waiting for you at the Star-Picking Tower."

Qing Sang was speechless. He hadn't expected that his casual remark would actually come true—his master really was from the Star-Picking Tower! Since that was the case, he would go find Yun He and verify the information about the Ten Thousand Mountains. (End of Chapter)