Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 14 Cooperation
Chen Ye frowned, already intending to refuse.

Mo Ci had warned him long ago that anyone who could fly on a sword had to be at least a cultivator at the Tongxuan realm.

Su Chunyi is at least at the Profound Realm, three realms higher than Chen Ye, a mere Spirit Awakening cultivator. Su Chunyi is also a disciple of the Qinghe Sword Sect, the number one sect in the world. If she can't handle this trouble, why would I rashly get involved? Wouldn't that be courting death?

However, Chen Ye still asked, "Miss Su, is that madman impersonating the Qinghe Sword Sect really that troublesome?"

Su Chunyi shook her head slightly, a hint of melancholy in her expression, and said softly, "To be honest, I have been here for some time, but I still cannot find any trace of the imposter. Those children who were forcibly conscripted are currently being held in the Qinglian Taoist Temple outside the city. Fortunately, they are being cared for by many women and are not in immediate danger."

"I have been secretly investigating for many days, and I feel that this matter is becoming more and more confusing. It seems that Magistrate Cui's actions of forcibly conscripting young boys and girls are not due to the instigation of the demonic cultivators, but rather as if he has received instructions from the imperial court."

Chen Ye was taken aback and blurted out, "A mortal court? What use do they have for these children?"

Su Chunyi shook his head helplessly: "This is exactly what I can't figure out, and I really don't know where to start. Before I left, my elders repeatedly warned me that this trip is fraught with danger, and I will encounter my nemesis. I must not act rashly, and I must not alert the enemy. Therefore, I urgently need your help, sir. In my opinion, only you can find out the truth and find the real culprit."

Su Chunyi had half a sentence left unsaid.

This trip down the mountain was her first experience. The elders of the Qinghe Sword Sect specially cast a divination for her, using authentic immortal magic. The divination indicated that not only would she encounter a formidable opponent, but she would also meet a benefactor who could help her turn danger into safety.

At this moment, Su Chunyi felt that she had found this benefactor.

Although the young Taoist priest in front of him was only at the Qi Awakening Realm, his words and insights filled Su Chun with admiration.

Cui County is too prosperous, and various forces are deeply entrenched. Even after investigating for several days, Su Chun still couldn't see the truth, as if looking at flowers through a fog.

The Qinghe Sword Sect has strict rules, which forbid the indiscriminate killing of the innocent and the bullying of the weak. Su Chunyi could not directly kill Magistrate Cui and then use his soul-searching technique to find the real culprit; he had to find irrefutable evidence before he could take action.

While following the rules has its benefits, it requires more effort and time when dealing with matters where good and evil are difficult to distinguish. Over the years, very few people can truly uphold the right path.

Su Chun had been investigating for several days without any progress. Meeting Chen Ye was truly a blessing from the ancestors.

With his ability to see through people's hearts, finding the mastermind should be a piece of cake. Once the culprit appears, Su Chunyi can draw his sword and kill him.

Chen Ye really wanted to refuse Su Chunyi's invitation.

Now that he has the materials for the Qi Condensation Pill, finding a suitable place to refine the pill is his top priority. For him, nothing is more important than improving his cultivation.

But Chen Ye had to think it over carefully.

This might be the perfect opportunity for me to befriend the righteous sects.

Putting aside his identity as a demonic cultivator, even if he were just an innocent rogue cultivator from another sect, how many opportunities in his life would he have to connect with disciples of prestigious sects?

The Awakening Realm is merely crossing the threshold of cultivation, and condensing the dantian and qi sea is only taking another half step forward.

What happens next?

The path to immortality is long and arduous, and every step requires a massive accumulation of rare and precious materials.

Su Chunyi was only seeking answers to a few questions, yet he could casually produce the materials for the Qi Condensation Pill. If it were Chen Ye, he would not know how many days it would take to gather them all, and he might not even be able to find such high-quality materials.

Refusing Su Chunyi now would be tantamount to turning away the towering Qinghe Sword Sect. This is the number one Qinghe Sword Sect in the world! Its prestige has been proven by the lives of two Demon Lords.

If one could establish a connection with such a prestigious sect, even if Su Chun gave away cultivation resources for free, it would still be a sure win if one could get a discount when purchasing items in the future.

Besides, the Qinghe Sword Sect might have a way to save Master?

After much deliberation, Chen Ye finally decided to take the risk, because the reward was likely to be beyond his imagination.

"I am willing to lend a helping hand, but I have one more request."

Upon hearing this, Su Chun's face immediately lit up with a smile, as if spring flowers were blooming in an instant. Her radiant beauty even caused Chen Ye to lose his composure for a moment.

"I wonder what your request is, sir. Please speak freely, and I will do my best to make it happen."

It took Chen Ye a while to recover from that innocent smile, and he said with a slight embarrassment, "I want to refine the Qi Condensation Pill first. After I have cultivated my dantian and qi sea, I will start investigating this matter of forcibly conscripting young boys and girls. I wonder if Miss Su can wait a few days?"

As the saying goes, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Regardless of the future benefits, Chen Ye still prioritized cultivation.

After a moment's thought, Su Chunyi nodded in agreement: "Cultivation is the foundation. I have a quiet room that you may use. These next few days, you can focus on your cultivation. I also need to gather some more information. Once you have finished your seclusion, we can investigate this matter thoroughly together."

Chen Ye quickly clasped his hands in thanks, thinking to himself that this Miss Su was far too easy to talk to.

He couldn't help but wonder again. Are all righteous people so easy to talk to? Then how come his master, Mo Ci, has been hunted down for hundreds of years? What terrible things has he done that have angered both heaven and man?

Sigh, he's betrayed his master and ancestors again without realizing it. This isn't good; it'll be easy for people to discover he's a little devil.

Su Chun turned to Chen Ye and said softly, "Sir, please come with me. My meditation room is outside the city."

"Outside the city?" Chen Ye was slightly taken aback. After a moment's thought, he replied, "If the journey is too long, I might as well find a place to cultivate in the city. Although my place is a bit dilapidated and dirty, it is quiet."

That place originally belonged to Wang Sanqi, but since this scoundrel usually stayed at his brother and sister-in-law's house, the dilapidated house had long since become a garbage dump. However, it could still be lived in after a little cleaning.

Su Chunyi shook her head slightly and patiently explained, "Although refining Qi Condensation Pills is not difficult, we still need to find a place where we won't be disturbed. I will take you out of the city with my sword light, and we will arrive in an instant. You don't need to worry about this being too conspicuous. I can use illusion magic to cover it up, and no one else will be able to detect it."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye suddenly realized something and thought to himself: No wonder I hadn't noticed this Miss Su's whereabouts before; the Qinghe Sword Sect is also skilled in illusion techniques.

Cultivators at the Awakening Realm are extremely sensitive to changes in spiritual energy. Su Chunyi's illusion technique was able to deceive the cultivators' senses, so it seems that her cultivation level might be even higher than Mo Ci's.

Chen Ye couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. He truly envied the cultivators from these prestigious sects, who seemed to have no need to toil and struggle like himself for a few cultivation resources.

After a sigh, Chen Ye looked up at Su Chunyi with a sly look in his eyes and said, "Miss Su, if you are going to use your sword light to fly me out of the city, I have a request. I hope you will remove the illusion."

Su Chun looked puzzled and gently advised, "Doing things this way might frighten others."

Chen Ye's lips curled up into a meaningful smile, and he said, "That's right, that's the effect I wanted."

(End of this chapter)