Daqin arrests alchemists, what does it matter to me as a qi refiner?

But Liu Yin is now in seclusion to heal her wounds. If you trust me, you can bring Miss Liu to me."

Yang Ling nodded and whispered, "Oh! I see. I won't bother you any more. Goodbye!"

After saying this, he was ready to turn around and leave.

However, the man in white called him: "Brother Zhao, please stay. Come with me."

After saying that, he walked straight into the courtyard gate.

Although Yang Ling was confused, he did not ask any more questions and chose to follow the man in white.

At this time, the man in white had already arrived at the back hall of the courtyard. He did not expect that the front was still a ruin, but the back yard was clean and new, forming a sharp contrast with the front. He saw an old woman sitting in the pavilion in the yard, feeding fish leisurely.

The old woman looked exceptionally thin, exuding a strong aura of aging and fragility.

However, if you look closely, you will find that her eyes are shining with wisdom and insight.

When her eyes fell on Yang Ling and the young man in white, the old woman threw away the unused fish food in her hand without hesitation.

"Xier, is this young man your friend?" she asked with a hint of inquiry in her voice.

The young man in white smiled bitterly and shook his head gently when he heard this. Then, he told her about Liu Ailian's recent situation.

"So you are Xiaolian's savior." After hearing this, the old woman looked Yang Ling up and down, her tone full of sincerity, "Since you are Xiaolian's benefactor, please take a seat."

Upon hearing this, the young man in white quickly responded and invited Yang Ling to take a seat. Yang Ling also hurriedly bowed and said respectfully: "Greetings, Senior, Junior Yang Ling!"

The old woman had a warm smile on her face, her eyes full of kindness: "You don't have to be so polite, young friend."

Looking at this very kind old lady, Yang Ling couldn't help but ask in a low voice: "Senior, why is Yinyue City so turbulent?"

The old woman did not hide anything and directly explained the reason: "Xiao Lian'er unfortunately disappeared some time ago, and her father left Yinyue City to look for her. After he left, those villains who were eyeing Yinyue City took the opportunity to win over the hearts of the people. Liu Yin Pianpian has never been keen on power struggles, so he let them toss around, but he didn't expect that he would be betrayed by his close confidants in the end. He is now in seclusion to heal his injuries, so naturally he has no time to take care of the situation in Yinyue City."

After saying this, the old woman took out a jade pendant from her bosom and gently handed it to Yang Ling: "If what you said is true, give this jade pendant to Xiao Lian'er, and then take her to Lingyue Lake. There is a formation guarding there, and Xiao Lian'er with the jade pendant should be able to enter."

Yang Ling took the jade pendant without hesitation. He looked at the old woman and said firmly, "Don't worry, senior. I will definitely send Miss Liu to her safely."

As soon as Yang Ling finished speaking, the old woman spoke again: "If you can help me complete this task, my Liu family will owe you a favor. No matter what you ask for in the future, I will try my best to meet your request."

Hearing this, Yang Ling raised his head in surprise, then nodded solemnly: "Senior, please rest assured, I will definitely send Miss Liu to Lingyue Lake safely!"

After saying this, Yang Ling was about to turn around and leave. However, at this moment, the old woman stopped him again: "Remember, when you get to Lingyue Lake, let Xiao Lianer enter the lake by herself."

Although Yang Ling was confused, he still nodded: "Junior will remember it."

Afterwards, Yang Ling left Liu Mansion. The moment he walked out of the mansion, an inexplicable emotion surged in his heart.

After Yang Ling left, the old woman's eyes suddenly became fierce. She turned to look at the young man in white beside her and said in a cold tone: "Xi'er, you must not be soft-hearted this time. As long as Liu Ailian is alive, you will never be able to inherit Liu Yin's legacy."

The old woman's words made people shudder. Then, she instructed the young man in white: "Follow Yang Ling secretly and make sure Xiao Lian'er takes the jade pendant and enters Lingyue Lake."

Hearing this, the young man in white looked at the old woman, hesitant to speak.

Seeing this, the old woman said unhappily, "Why? You can't bear to part with Xiao Lian'er? Don't you forget how your mother died!"

Hearing this, the young man in white looked sad: "Grandma, I haven't forgotten, but Lian'er is innocent."

The old woman heard this and said angrily, "So what if she's innocent? If it wasn't her, how could Liu Yin extract your mother's ghost pill?"

A trace of struggle flashed in the eyes of the young man in white. Finally, he slowly said, "Grandma, Lian'er is my sister who grew up under my care. I really can't bear to be cruel to her."

After saying that, the young man in white left without looking back. The old woman looked at his back, her eyes full of resentment.

Meanwhile, Yang Ling returned to Liu Ailian's residence and handed the jade pendant to her. After Liu Ailian received the jade pendant, she fell into a long silence. After a long while, she slowly raised her head and thanked Yang Ling: "Thank you, sir. I've really troubled you during this period of time."

After saying that, Liu Ailian took out a black gold token from her bosom and handed it to Yang Ling: "Sir, this is the pass to Huaishan Hills."

Yang Ling took the token curiously, looked at it carefully, and asked doubtfully: "Miss Liu, why are you giving this to me?"

Liu Ailian bit her lip and whispered, "Master, I am very grateful for sending me back. This is my small token of appreciation."

After she finished speaking, a bitter smile appeared on her lips. Yang Ling looked at her in confusion and asked, "Miss Liu, what do you mean?"

Liu Ailian explained in a low voice: "Sir, after I enter Lingyue Lake, we may never see each other again."

Yang Ling was even more confused: "Miss Liu, is Lingyue Lake a place where you can only enter but not leave?"

Liu Ailian shook her head and did not explain further. She just whispered, "Sir, Huaishan Hills is where the Ghost Emperor practices. With this pass, you can ask him for help."

After that, she looked at Yang Ling and said softly, "Sir, I once heard you say that you entered this ghost world to find someone. The Ghost Emperor is in charge of the entire ghost world. If you want to find someone, just ask him directly."

Her voice was soft and sweet, but full of sincerity. After saying this, she turned and walked into the house.

Yang Ling looked at her back, his eyes sparkling. Such a thing was undoubtedly a timely help for him. However, he also knew in his heart that it was a bit of a waste to use such a precious pass to find someone.

Thinking of this, Yang Ling called Liu Ailian and returned the black gold token to her: "Miss Liu, you are too polite. This token is so valuable, I feel ashamed to accept it." Liu Ailian was slightly startled, and after a long while, she said softly: "Master, you saved my life, this little thing is nothing at all."

Her voice was like the sound of nature, refreshing. Yang Ling looked at her serious expression and shook his head helplessly: "Miss Liu, finding someone is a small matter, but the token that can get the Ghost Emperor to help is too precious."

Seeing that Yang Ling was determined not to accept it, Liu Ailian had no choice but to say, "Since you insist on doing so, I will keep it for now. I hope we will have a chance to meet again in the future."

Yang Ling looked at her worried face and couldn't help asking, "Miss Liu, I still don't understand how dangerous Lingyue Lake is?"

Facing Yang Ling's repeated questioning, Liu Ailian sighed softly and said, "Sir, Lingyue Lake may not be dangerous to others, but it is full of dangers for me."

Yang Ling looked at her in confusion: "Why? Isn't that old woman your relative?"

Liu Ailian smiled bitterly: "No, the old woman who gave me the jade pendant is indeed my relative."

After that, she paused and continued, "However, sometimes there are grudges between relatives that are difficult to resolve."

After saying this, Liu Ailian returned to her room and did not communicate with Yang Ling again.

Yang Ling stood there in a daze, his heart filled with confusion. He had not expected things to be so complicated.

After a long time, Yang Ling came back to his senses. He vaguely felt that Liu Ailian seemed to be hiding something, but he did not ask further. After all, he and Liu Ailian were just casual acquaintances.

Not wanting to think any more, Yang Ling turned and left Liu Ailian's residence. Liu Ailian, who was hiding in the room, looked at his back with a hint of disappointment on her face.

After a while, she calmed down, tightly grasped the jade pendant in her hand, slowly closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep. On the other side, Yang Ling had also returned to his room to rest.

The next day, Yang Ling brought Liu Ailian to Lingyue Lake. At this time, there was no one beside Lingyue Lake, and it seemed particularly quiet.

"Is this Lingyue Lake?" Yang Ling looked around and couldn't help asking. He looked around carefully but didn't find anything special about Lingyue Lake.

Hearing this, Liu Ailian nodded slightly: "Yes, this is Lingyue Lake." Then, she looked at Yang Ling and said lightly, "Sir, just send me here, please go back."

After that, she ignored Yang Ling and walked straight to Lingyue Lake. Yang Ling stayed by the lake and closed his eyes to rest.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. On this day, the system suddenly asked Yang Ling: "Host, are you not going to continue looking for Miss Rong'er?"

Yang Ling hesitated for a moment and then replied, "Looking for it, of course I have to look for it, but I just don't have any clues yet."

"But you can't find any clues even if you stay here." The system said with some confusion.

Yang Ling thought for a moment and replied, "That's true, but for some reason, my intuition tells me that I should stay here."

The system was speechless for a moment when it heard this. However, it also understood that cultivators often made choices based on intuition. Sometimes, this intuition was even an ability to predict the future.

Therefore, the system did not say anything more and fell into silence again. In this way, Yang Ling meditated and practiced by the Lingyue Lake for more than half a month.

Time passed quietly, and the originally calm Lingyue Lake suddenly became turbulent.

Suddenly, an extremely cold and dense evil spirit surged out from the depths of Lingyue Lake. Along with it was a terrifying pressure that made people's hearts tremble, as if it could crush all living things.

In an instant, layers of mist rose from the surface of Lingyue Lake, like a fairyland, but also revealing a bit of ominousness. "Boom..." A deafening sound rang out in the center of the lake, causing vibrations all around.

When Yang Ling saw this scene, his heart tightened and he quickly observed the changes in Lingyue Lake and its surroundings, fearing that he would miss any details.

"Roar—" a deafening roar came from the depths of the lake, shaking people's minds. Then, a "crackling" sound was heard, and countless sharp stone pillars suddenly emerged from the lakeshore, pointing straight to the sky.

Not long after, violent vibrations of "bang bang bang" were heard from the lake again, followed by "boom" thunder, echoing over Lingyue Lake.

When Yang Ling heard the thunder, he was extremely surprised. He stared at the turbulent lake with a solemn look on his face.

"Boom..." A flash of lightning streaked across the sky and struck the lake without warning, stirring up huge waves. At the same time, an extremely fierce aura spread with the lightning, making Yang Ling feel a strong sense of uneasiness.

He subconsciously stepped back, and at this moment, "Roar——" another deafening roar came from the bottom of the water.

"Puchi..." Along with the roar, a huge monster hundreds of feet long - the Ghost Dragon, suddenly jumped out of Lingyue Lake, looking extremely ferocious.

"Ghost Dragon! This... this is actually a Ghost Dragon!" Yang Ling was shocked when he saw this. He never expected that he would encounter such a terrifying existence in Yinyue City.

Although this was only a remnant of the ghost dragon's soul, its power was still beyond his ability to contend with. Facing such a ferocious and powerful enemy, Yang Ling did not dare to hesitate at all and turned around to escape.

However, as soon as he moved, the huge body of the Ghost Dragon came over like a mountain. The Ghost Dragon opened its huge claws, each of which contained enough power to destroy a mountain, and pounced towards Yang Ling.

Yang Ling did not dare to delay and immediately mobilized his spiritual power to prepare for resistance. "Boom!" Just as the spiritual power was mobilizing, the ghost dragon rushed over like a gust of wind.

Yang Ling swung his sword to block, and with a "clang", the long sword collided with the sharp claws of the ghost dragon, making a deafening sound. Yang Ling only felt a shock in his palm, the pain was unbearable, and he couldn't help but gasp.

"Roar!" The ghost dragon roared again, and then its huge tail lashed towards Yang Ling like a whip.

"Bang!" Yang Ling was whipped out and fell heavily to the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood and his face turned pale in an instant.

However, the ghost dragon did not give up, but approached Yang Ling again, ready to launch a fatal attack. "Bang!" "Puff!" In Yang Ling's horrified eyes, the ghost dragon rushed over and smashed him directly into the mud, leaving him dead or alive.

"Ahem..." Yang Ling spat out a few mouthfuls of blood and crawled out of the mud with difficulty. At this moment, his face was as pale as paper, and his body was covered with scars. He raised his head with difficulty and looked at the ghost dragon not far away, his heart filled with fear and despair. (End of this chapter)