Villain Master, my disciples all want to backstab me

After all, it is really too embarrassing to let others do such a private thing as "wiping the body" for you.

"Shuang'er, go get a bucket of hot water and wash yourself. Your teacher... your senior sister has something to do and will be out for a while. She will be back a little later, so you don't have to wait for me."

"Oh……"

Ye Shuang'er nodded and began to add hot water into the wooden barrel.

Bai Yuan returned to the bedside, put on her night clothes, and put on her black stockings that could "hide her breath" on her legs. Then, she took advantage of the night, opened the door, and quietly disappeared into the darkness outside...

……

That night.

A mysterious person broke into the Huang family's woodshed and a bucket of bath water was stolen.

Bai Yuan returned to the room in the second half of the night and said a few words to Ye Shuang'er, who had been lying on the bed waiting for her to come back. Then they each wrapped themselves in quilts and fell asleep.

……

Wait until the next morning.

Bai Yuan, who had regained the image of "Su Baizhi", walked out of the room as if nothing had happened. When she was brushing her teeth and washing her face with willow salt, she saw the room next door being opened and Ji Tingxue, who was also dressed neatly, walked out.

"Good morning, Fellow Daoist Ji."

"morning……"

Ji Tingxue looked at Bai Yuan and smiled faintly, but seemed a little absent-minded, as if thinking about something.

Bai Yuan gulped a few times and spit out the mouthwash, then turned to look at Ji Tingxue: "What's wrong? Didn't you sleep well last night? You look a little haggard."

"That's not the case. I just found something a little confusing and haven't thought it through yet..."

Ji Tingxue pondered for a moment, then raised her head and said, "Forget it, it's not an important matter. Let's get down to business first."

The first thing to do is to eat.

As one of the most powerful families in the town, the Huang family's food standards are already quite good. This time, in order to please a few "immortal masters", they even pulled out all their skills. For breakfast alone, they prepared a large table of food that looked delicious and made people's mouths water.

Ye Shuang'er ate with relish and was very happy.

Bai Yuan and Ji Tingxue both had a simple meal and drank a few cups of tea.

Wait until after dinner and rest for a while.

Mr. and Mrs. Huang carried the young master of the Huang family on a stretcher to the back wing, kowtowed three times and nine times, and begged Bai Yuan and Ji Tingxue to help him.

To be honest…

Bai Yuan was quite surprised when he saw this "young master" again.

She had met this "young master" last night and had seen from the moment that he had been ill for a long time and, near death, had been possessed by a passing hungry ghost. After all this torture, the vitality in his body had been almost completely drained, leaving him one step away from death. But unexpectedly, after drinking the dish of talisman water Ji Tingxue had prepared last night and after a night's rest, he seemed to have recovered.

At this moment, he was able to sit up tremblingly with the help of his servants, and thank Bai Yuan and Ji Tingxue as instructed by his parents.

"No need to be polite."

Ji Tingxue stretched out two fingers, felt the pulse of the "young master", looked at his pupils and complexion, and said thoughtfully:

"Your son has been ill for too long, missing the best time for treatment. He's also been through the hungry ghost calamity. Even if he could be saved, his lifespan would probably be limited. With proper care, he could probably live another ten to eight years."

"This……"

The Huang couple looked at each other. Although they were a little sad, they still kowtowed and begged Ji Tingxue to take action.

So, the holy lady of the Ji family took out the cinnabar and yellow talisman, first drew a talisman on the "young master"'s body, and then drew several talismans in succession, and with a tap of a plate, it turned into clear talisman water.

"This talisman is called the 'Life Locking Talisman,' and it will temporarily lock the vitality in his body. Do not remove it for a week. Also, starting tonight, every sixteen hours, take out one of these dishes of talisman water and give it to him to drink. Once all the talisman water is consumed, he should be able to recover. After that, it's just a matter of daily nourishment and conditioning."

"...Thank you so much for rescuing me, Fairy. This is such a great favor. My husband and I will never forget it."

The Huang couple naturally kowtowed three times and nine times to thank Bai Yuan, Ji Tingxue, and Ye Shuang'er, which made both Bai Yuan and his disciple feel a little embarrassed.

But they did help last night, so it's only natural to accept this gratitude.

Wait until everything is settled.

Bai Yuan and his companions were finally ready to set off for the "Yuankong Secret Realm" that they had agreed on long ago.

Chapter 29 "First Meeting" Jiang Rao

"By the way, aren't Fellow Daoist Ji's clansmen going with us?"

Before leaving, Bai Yuan noticed that there was no one else with Ji Tingxue, so he asked a few more questions out of curiosity.

The latter shook his head. "They have other things to do... Last night, when they were hunting down the Painted Skin Ghost, they found some unexpected clues that might be related to the local demon cultivators. They need to stay here to investigate. We can just leave first. There's no need to wait for them."

"Oh?"

Could it be that the appearance of the two ghosts in the Huang family was not a coincidence, but the result of manipulation by someone with ulterior motives?

Bai Yuan was a little curious, but didn't think much about it. He just kept the matter in his heart, then took out the [Cloud Piercing Boat] from his storage bag and asked Ye Shuang'er to sit on it.

She originally wanted to invite Ji Tingxue to join her, but the latter waved him off.

"I'll just use my own spiritual sword."

After confirming the direction, the three of them soared into the sky from the Huang family's courtyard and flew all the way to the vast mountains shrouded in mist.

……

Less than half an hour later.

As Ji Tingxue started to slow down first, Bai Yuan also slowed down the speed of the [Cloud Piercing Boat] a little, and finally landed lightly at the foot of a mountain range shrouded in clouds and mist.

Quite a few people have gathered here.

The vast majority of them were outer disciples from various sects, both righteous and evil. They stood in groups of three or five, but also clearly separated. Some of them could tell their sects from the clothes they wore; and a small number were independent cultivators from the surrounding areas, or people from some large and small cultivation families.

The arrival of Bai Yuan and his three companions did not cause any splash.

Even so.

Bai Yuan still pulled Ye Shuang'er back and hid, following Ji Tingxue half a step behind her, creating the illusion that they were both Ji Tingxue's followers. At the same time, she quietly observed the situation in Cangmang Mountain, her mind wandering.

The secret realms in "Asking the Immortal" are mainly divided into two types.

The first type is artificially created. Generally, powerful cultivators, for reasons of inheritance and survival, will proactively carve out a space and seal their legacy within, waiting for their descendants or an unknown person to come and inherit it after several years.

The second type is formed due to the unnatural movement of heaven and earth. This type is generally more dangerous, because in addition to the remains of ancient sects, there may be many messy things, even ancient ferocious beasts that were swept into it by the unnatural movement of heaven and earth.

"Yuankong Secret Realm" belongs to the latter category.

If I remember correctly, there was indeed an ancient beast there that had survived for nearly a thousand years. However, due to the restrictions within the secret realm, it could only exert the strength of the Nascent Soul Realm. Even at the Nascent Soul Realm, it was enough to kill a large number of the cultivators present.

"Based on previous intelligence and the on-site situation, the Tianyuan Secret Realm should be opened within the next one or two weeks..."

"Due to the existence of restrictions, most flying spells and exploration spells cannot be used within this foggy area. Even Jindan realm masters are not immune. Therefore, these sects are exploring very carefully, waiting for the arrival of the main force..."

"As long as we can get to the center of the secret realm before them..."

Compared with others, Bai Yuan has an advantage.

As a former player, she had a map of the entire "Yuankong Secret Realm" in her mind, including the corresponding opportunities in each area, the possible drops... everything was available. As long as she followed the instructions on this map, she could rush ahead of everyone else, enter the heart of the secret realm, and pocket the biggest opportunities.

When Bai Yuan was thinking about this.

Then I heard a low humming sound, accompanied by a few whispers.

“…It’s the Tianyuan Sword Sect!”

"Even the four great authentic geniuses are here?"

"The leader of the team is actually Baili Qingfeng. He is one of the nine peak masters of the Tianyuan Sword Sect. Fifteen years ago, he was already a powerful Yuanying seventh-grade cultivator. It seems that the status of the disciples on this boat is extraordinary."

Amidst a chorus of discussion.

Bai Yuan followed the crowd's gaze and noticed a massive flying boat approaching from high above. It measured over a hundred meters long and nearly twenty meters wide, roughly the size of a modern destroyer. Its hull was crafted entirely from white jade, with sails adorned with a variety of gemstones. As it flew, it emitted streams of colorful light—though these streams weren't simply for show; they were also a manifestation of various formations.

at last.

The flying boat stopped above the mountainous area, hovered in the air for a short moment, and then slowly landed.

On the deck, dozens of young monks in white robes with the pattern of the Sword of Kering embroidered on their chests were standing scattered around, looking out of the ship.

At this time.

One of the female cultivators standing in the front suddenly opened her eyes from a state of concentration, as if she had realized something. She looked up at a certain place outside, and after a quick glance, her gaze fell on a woman dressed in brown, and she frowned.

"Jiang, what's wrong?"

A tall male monk turned his head to take a look and asked in a low voice.

"……nothing."

Jiang Rao pondered for a moment, then shook his head lightly: "I just saw someone I cared about a little bit."

"Oh?"

The male cultivator also followed her gaze. When he saw Ji Tingxue, his expression changed slightly. "The way that female cultivator is dressed... she must be from the Ji family! I didn't expect the secret realm opened this time to be so attractive that even the Ji family wants to come here to seek an opportunity. Go and call Chu He, and come with me to say hello later."

"Yes, Uncle Baili."

the other side.

Bai Yuan quietly lowered his eyes and glanced at Ye Shuang'er out of the corner of his eye.

The arrival of the Tianyuan Sword Sect was expected, but it arrived a little faster than Bai Yuan had imagined. After all, she set out the day after receiving the letter, and the entire journey took only two and a half days, yet they still arrived here at the same time as the Tianyuan Sword Sect.

At the moment, Bai Yuan herself was quite calm. With the "Thousand Faces of the Demonic Spider" mask covering her, she was confident that Jiang Rao wouldn't see through her disguise. However, Ye Shuang'er was clearly getting nervous. If this girl revealed her true identity, it would be equivalent to exposing her own.

Coincidentally, Ye Shuang'er also looked at her at this moment, her eyes seemed a little confused.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Bai Yuan reached out and held Ye Shuang'er's hand.

The latter's wrist trembled, and then he reacted. After a brief hesitation, he gently opened his fingers and clasped them with hers. The warmth from Bai Yuan's palm finally calmed Ye Shuang'er.

at this time.

Jiang Rao and others were already walking towards this side.

Chapter 30 Don’t underestimate my intelligence network!

Footsteps approach.

While there was still some time, Bai Yuan looked at the direction where Jiang Rao and others were coming from, and calmly moved a few inches to the side, blocking half of Ye Shuang'er's body.

then.

The people from Tianyuan Sword Sect came closer, first bowed slightly to Ji Tingxue, and then introduced themselves.

"So you're a fellow Taoist from the Tianyuan Sword Sect."

Ji Tingxue also bowed slightly and responded, "My name is Ji Tingxue, nice to meet you fellow practitioners. The two next to me are my friends, Su Baizhi and Ye Qingyu from the Qingxin Sect."

"Oh?"

After hearing this, others didn't react much—after all, the Tianyuan Sword Sect and the Qingxin Sect were quite far apart. Most Tianyuan disciples, including Elder Baili Qingfeng, had never been to or even heard of the Qingxin Sect. They simply considered it an ordinary, second- or third-rate sect, offering a casual nod as a greeting.

Only Jiang Rao seemed to have thought of something. He smiled slightly and asked, "Qingxin Sect? Could it be the sect located in Huoyun Country, Qingyuan Mountains?"

"When I was out on a mission for the sect, I happened to meet an elder from your sect and we had a very pleasant conversation. The elder's name seemed to be Xu Changfeng. He was proficient in music and was an expert in both dance and music. I wonder if the poem 'Xi Wang Xing' has been completed yet? If I have the chance, I would really like to hear it in person."

"..."

Bai Yuan's lips twitched slightly, and then he said with a smile, "Friend Jiang, you must be referring to Uncle Xu Changge, right? He is indeed an outstanding talent in our Qingxin Sect, so talented that even the Sect Master praises him highly. However, the song he composed is not called 'Xi Wang Xing', but 'Shen Xi Jue Tian Xiang', and it is now basically finished.

"If Fellow Daoist Jiang is interested in listening, why not join my sisters and I in the exploration of this secret realm after we are done? I'm sure Uncle Xu will be very happy too."

"Oh? So that's the name? I remembered it wrongly. Sorry..."

Jiang Rao's expression remained calm as he continued, "Oh, by the way, I also heard him say that there's a very special flower in the Qingyuan Mountains. It doesn't bloom for long, and its name is very difficult to pronounce, but when it blooms it's very gorgeous, like a sky full of stars. That's..."

"Is it the Chi Xuan flower? This flower is grown in the flower gardens within my sect, and its colors are indeed bright and beautiful. It's a pity that I didn't bring a few bouquets with me this time because I was in such a hurry. Otherwise, giving flowers to a beautiful woman would have been a beautiful story."

Bai Yuan answered fluently.

Of course she knew that Jiang Rao was deliberately testing her.

Since this girl had quietly established her own intelligence organization, the Night Sparrow Sect, she must have some exceptional intelligence gathering abilities. She knew many things most people didn't know, like the song and the flower I just mentioned.

This kind of highly targeted question is enough to expose the counterfeit goods instantly.