Noticing Chen Xuan looking her way, the mature woman gave a weak nod of acknowledgment.
She felt extremely relieved in her heart. If this mysterious man had also turned out to be an enemy, she could not even imagine the grim consequences.
Cupping her hands gracefully, she bowed her head. "Ye Qingyu, thanks Fellow Daoist for extending a helping hand."
"Fellow Daoist is too polite," Chen Xuan replied calmly.
Chen Xuan looked towards the masked men and chucked lightly.
"I am simply doing what any righteous cultivator would do."
The two masked men heard his arrogant words, exchanging a heavy glance.
Can you see through his cultivation? the white-masked man transmitted his voice secretly.
No. Either he has used some technique to hide it well, or he is way more powerful than us, the black-masked man replied.
If he had real strength, he would not be talking this much. From his manner of speaking and his clothes, he looks like some kid from a noble family.
We are so close to finishing our mission. We do not have any choice. Let's just test his strength first.
The white-masked man nodded his head silently. He immediately channeled a tremendous amount of Spiritual Qi into his weapon.
Humming with violent power, the metallic links vibrated as the sharp spikes turned a glowing, searing red.
Chen Xuan did not move from his spot at all. He simply raised his right hand and warned, "I advise you to take out that black cauldron."
A silver longsword materialized instantly from his spatial ring. He channelled tremendous amount of Qi into the sword, causing the blade to hum sharply.
His peak Foundation Establishment aura exploded outward into the cold surroundings.
The white-masked attacker froze in his place. A deeply shocked expression flashed across his eyes.
He was not surprised by the cultivation realm itself, since both attackers had already guessed he was at the same realm.
They were surprised by the humming silver blade. It was a genuine third-rank spiritual weapon.
Assuming the young man came from an ordinary noble family, they had originally planned to fight him if necessary.
Having traveled the lands and survived many battles, they naturally possessed keen eyes for danger.
A young man was at the peak of Foundation Establishment with a third-rank spiritual sword in his hands.
Only a few elite disciples from the top sects or clans could display such wealth.
Let us attack together using the Shadow Flame Cauldron, the white-masked man heard a secret transmission from his partner.
No. Unlike us, he has't spent anything yet, the white-masked man replied back. I don't have Qi to activate the cauldron's skills. We can't use its real ability.
Looking at his black-masked companion, the assassin slowly retreated.
The Shadow Flame Cauldron was given to us specifically to capture Ye Qingyu.
After fighting him, we won't have enough strength to capture her, he explained silently.
They could probably fight this mysterious young man if they ruthlessly risked their own lives.
However, their primary target was the woman. And they could not use the real powers of the spiritual treasure like him.
That mission was completely impossible now, and the risk of offending one of top powers of the empire was simply too high.
"Are you not going to do it?" Chen Xuan asked calmly, noticing their movements.
He had the means to kill them but he did not want to go that far.
He did not know what kind of grudge they had with her and who was backing them.
Acting blindly in the cultivation world was a foolish endeavor.
The black masked man gritted his teeth angrily. "You meddle in things you do not understand."
Chen Xuan nodded his head at his words. "True."
Black masked men seethed in rage seeing Chen Xuan's nonchalant attitude.
However he could do nothing. Their own lives were far more valuable than any mission.
He retreated leaving his words. "One day you will regret because of this."
Seeing all that the woman in the blue robe let out a heavy breath. She slowly lowered her sword. However, she did not drop her guard completely.
"Fellow Daoist, thank you for your help again," she said softly. Her voice was melodious and sweet.
Chen Xuan nodded his head slightly. Catching her wariness, He put his sword away. "It was no problem."
Coughing violently, the injured gray-robed man finally collapsed onto the ground.
Ye Qingyu rushed to his side. She frowned upon seeing his festering wounds.
Because he had forcefully elevated his strength with a pill, his internal Qi was entirely chaotic.
This dangerous instability allowed the dark poison to spread rapidly through his weakened meridians.
"Tie Shan, hold on," she urged.
She turned toward the spiritual carriage and called out, "Senior Sun, please take a look at him."
The wooden door opened.
Supported by the young woman standing guard outside, a weathered old man slowly stepped down.
Ye Qingyu supported Tie Shan and brought him over.
Old man used his spiritual consciousness to study the injuries.
He quickly retrieved a pale green pill and fed it to Tie Shan, trying to stabilize the violent energy ravaging his body.
Opening a small wooden box, he took out several silver spiritual needles.
He carefully inserted them into specific acupoints along Tie Shan's body.
The old man exhaled after placing the last needle.
"Madam Ye, we must hurry back to Baishi City," he said weakly.
"I can only suppress the poison temporarily out here."
The old man stood up slowly and shifted his tired gaze to Chen Xuan. His old eyes examined his noble and calm demeanor.
"This old man is Sun Mo, a humble alchemist. I thank the young hero for helping us," he said, offering a bow.
"May I ask for your name?"
" Chen Xuan," he replied. "I am a disciple of the Flowing Cloud Sect."
Hearing the name of the sect, old man smiled warmly.
"As expected of a disciple from the Flowing Cloud Sect. Young hero Chen is truly a righteous person."
Chen Xuan accepted the praise without changing his expression. He did not care much about a righteous reputation.
"What is the nearest city from here?" Chen Xuan asked quietly.
Both Sun Mo and Ye Qingyu looked at him in surprise. For a disciple of a major sect, getting lost here was highly unusual.
The old man quickly recovered. "Red Leaf City is the closest. It is roughly one hundred and fifty miles south," he answered.
"But it is a very small city."
"There are more small cities, but they are located much further away," Ye Qingyu said.
She paused for a moment then added.
"If you are looking for a proper place to rest or wish to board a long-distance spiritual ferry, Baishi City is your only choice."
Cities in the cultivation world were strictly ranked. A second-level city possessed a second-grade spiritual vein.
It could easily support cultivators at the peak of Foundation Establishment.
Chen Xuan acted as if he was thinking deeply about the information.
"So Baishi City is the biggest cultivation city in the near vicinity?" he asked.
"Yes," Ye Qingyu nodded. "The City Lord is a fake core cultivator. The city is quite rich in resources."
Chen Xuan had already heard that these people were going there. He wanted to stay near her.
However, he did not want to force himself into their group without an invitation. It might look too suspicious.
"Then I will go to Baishi City. Can you point the direction for me?" Chen Xuan asked politely.
Sun Mo offered a warm smile.
"We are returning to Baishi City right now. If the young hero does not mind our slow pace, you can travel with us. Otherwise, we can simply provide a map for you."
Chen Xuan looked directly at Ye Qingyu. "Would that be fine?" he asked.
Ye Qingyu nodded her head. "Fellow Daoist Chen is too polite. You can come with us if it is alright with you."
He smiled faintly. "Let's go together."