Chapter 48 Hu Guichen's Frenzy

Upon leading them to the servants' quarters, the servant found that there were three extra people on their side as well, so Qiyan and the other two ended up sharing a single room.

When night fell, Qiyan summoned Blood Drinker. Without waiting for a word, the little wolf leaped gracefully out of the window and vanished into the darkness.

Gu Dinghan looked perplexed: "Seventh Junior Brother, you didn't even tell it where Zhaozhao and the others are, did you? What if it gets lost?"

"Don't worry," Qiyan said, lying down leisurely on the bed, "it knows Zhaozhao's location better than I do."

Indeed, relying on Qiyan's exceptional sense of smell, Yun Zhao could be tracked down among a sea of rooms, though it would require some careful sifting. Blood Drinker, however, simply had to follow its instincts. Within a quarter of an hour, it had reached the room where Yun Zhao was staying.

Fuguang was currently being held in Yun Zhao's arms, purring as she stroked its fur. The moment Blood Drinker materialized, the cat's fur stood completely on end!

"There, there, don't be afraid," Yun Zhao hurriedly soothed it, "it's Blood Drinker, not an enemy."

Fuguang let out a soft meow. Truth be told, it would have preferred an enemy; an enemy at least wouldn't try to steal its master's embrace.

Sure enough, its exclusive spot had been usurped by a wretched sword spirit.

How vexing, yet it still had to maintain a polite smile.

Unable whether to laugh or cry, Yun Zhao patted the heads of both little creatures and designated Fuguang as the translator, asking it to convey Qiyan's message to her.

Masters and sword spirits were, after all, capable of communicating through divine consciousness.

Qiyan had informed Yun Zhao about his encounter with Song Zhiyuan. His suggestion was that the three of them should lie low in the Song residence for a few days; having just entered under the guise of maids and servants, they likely wouldn't have many opportunities to wander around freely.

Yun Zhao expressed her agreement. After lingering for a little while longer, Blood Drinker took its leave with visible reluctance.

Staying with its master meant being cooped up inside a sword all day—how could that ever compare to the comfort of the mistress's side?

The mistress even fed it little dried fish carved out of spiritual stones!

Dragging its feet back unwillingly, Blood Drinker rattled off a string of muffled complaints to Qiyan before immediately diving back into the sword.

Gu Dinghan chuckled: "Seventh Junior Brother, your sword spirit is quite unique."

"Indeed," Qiyan replied casually, "it has a massive temper and is always contemplating running away from home."

"Ah," Gu Dinghan scratched his head, "that is certainly rare."

Which sword spirit in the world wouldn't want to stay by its master's side, let alone dream of running away!

Inside the sword blade, the sword spirit rolled its eyes: *As if you wouldn't want to stay by the mistress's side? If this master of mine could currently transform into his beast form, his tail would have been wagging much more enthusiastically than mine and that fat cat's.*

For the next few days, although the six of them worked within the same estate, a whole day would pass without even a fleeting glance exchanged, let alone any acknowledgment of each other.

Steward Fu kept a close watch for several days. Seeing that Qiyan and his companions never interacted with anyone and simply kept their heads down and worked diligently, he finally reported the matter to Song Zhiyuan.

Song Zhiyuan muttered to himself: "Could it really not be him?"

He had distinctly felt that the figure looked remarkably similar.

Overhearing this, Steward Fu cautiously asked, "Young Master, do we still need to keep an eye on those three?"

Song Zhiyuan hesitated for a moment.

"Young Master," a subordinate called out from outside the door, "the information you requested has been investigated."

Song Zhiyuan immediately commanded, "Enter."

As soon as the man stepped inside, he reported, "Young Master, this subordinate searched along their route and discovered that they ultimately headed toward the Nanmu Forest."

"The Nanmu Forest is vast and boundless, making the search akin to finding a needle in a haystack. This subordinate has already stationed men at every exit, and no suspicious individuals have emerged from it."

"The Nanmu Forest..."

Song Zhiyuan repeated the name twice. Noticing that Steward Fu was still waiting nearby, he instructed, "You may leave first. There is no need to monitor those three any longer."

Steward Fu lowered his head, "Understood."

After he departed, Song Zhiyuan remained utterly baffled, "The Nanmu Forest? What on earth did they go there for?"

As for cultivation trials, the Nanmu Forest was hardly challenging enough to entertain those Core Formation cultivators.

Unable to make sense of it, Song Zhiyuan simply ordered his subordinates to continue guarding the exits.

"The moment any suspicious figures appear, capture them immediately."

"Yes!"

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away at the Myriad Swords Sect.

Hu Guichen had dispatched several communication talismans to Master Guiyuan, yet none of them received a reply.

Anxiety gnawed at him. Could it be that Master Guiyuan had discovered Bai Lingxiao's innate sword bones could be seized for his own use and had made his move in advance?

A flash of ruthless ferocity crossed Hu Guichen's eyes.

No!

He had guarded Bai Lingxiao for so long, pouring countless celestial treasures into her to make her sword bones even more formidable; they absolutely could not be snatched away by someone else!

After a moment's thought, Hu Guichen sent a communication talisman to Lu Mingdao, and this time, a reply finally came back.

"Sect Master Hu, our Sect Master is in closed-door seclusion, which is why he failed to receive your talismans."

Lu Mingdao's voice sounded completely normal, easing half of Hu Guichen's anxiety. He then inquired when Bai Lingxiao would be able to return.

"Peak Master Lu, why not let Lingxiao return first? If Zhaozhao wishes to play, there will be plenty of time for junior sister and senior sister to spend together in the future."

This time, Lu Mingdao did not reply instantly. Instead, he hesitated for at least a quarter of an hour, until Hu Guichen grew impatient and sent another talisman to urge him.

"This..."

Lu Mingdao's tone sounded troubled. "Sect Master Hu, to be completely honest with you, that child Zhaozhao is truly audacious. Wishing to undergo cultivation trials, she, she actually took Junior Sister Bai and the others along with her."

Hu Guichen's expression changed drastically as he hurriedly asked when they would return.

If Bai Lingxiao's cultivation were to break through to the Nascent Soul realm, seizing her sword bones would result in losing more than half of their power!

"Her return date is uncertain," Lu Mingdao said with a helpless sigh. "The child was afraid I would go after her, so she didn't even tell me the location of their trials."

Hu Guichen: "!"

"However," Lu Mingdao added after a dramatic pause, "according to my disciple, they headed south toward the Misty Wasteland."

"If Sect Master Hu is not in a rush, I will set out to find them once I finish refining this batch of elixirs."

Lu Mingdao knew more details than he did; he should be able to track them down quickly.

With this thought in mind, Hu Guichen asked, "When will Peak Master Lu finish refining this batch of elixirs?"

Lu Mingdao answered uncertainly, "It should take about a month. Though, if things don't go smoothly... perhaps half a year?"

Hu Guichen: "..."

Barely managing to suppress his rising anger, he patiently asked, "Could Peak Master Lu go find them first before refining the elixirs? Surely it cannot be so urgent?"

Lu Mingdao sighed, "That won't do. I have already begun and cannot stop midway."

Hu Guichen: "..."

Once again swallowing his temper, he gathered whatever information Lu Mingdao could provide, summoned his spirit boat, and rushed frantically toward the south.

Upon witnessing this scene, a disciple of the Myriad Swords Sect remarked with envy, "The Sect Master treats Senior Sister Bai so well! Although dealing with a sword spirit is normally a master's own responsibility, he not only labors over the sect's affairs but also attends to every single matter concerning Senior Sister Bai."

"What can be done? Who else could compare when Senior Sister Bai possesses the innate sword bones that appear only once in ten thousand years? The Sect Master naturally has to cherish and dote on her."

At the Wood Peak of the Azure Cloud Sect, Lu Mingdao put away his communication talisman and said with a huff, "Are you satisfied now?"

Mu Qianqian smiled brightly and said, "Many thanks, Uncle-Master. Qianqian is endlessly grateful."

Lu Mingdao waved a hand dismissively. "If you truly want to thank me, clear out and let me get back to refining elixirs. Honestly, all day long—go focus on your cultivation already."