Longevity Clan Starts with the Patriarch's Marriage - Chapter 43

Chapter 43 Intelligence_1

Translator: 549690339

Yun Miaoyi was as perceptive as they come, and she guessed right away that the news must have been leaked by Jiang Baiye.

She had come to track down the Body-Cultivating Furnace, and the only person who had seen her was Jiang Baiye, who also had plenty of motive to do so.

If Yun Miaoyi were being hunted by the real experts of Tianxuan Mountain, where would she find the time to hunt for the Body-Cultivating Furnace?

After escaping another pursuit from Tianxuan Mountain, Yun Miaoyi went directly to Jiang Baiye to inquire; Jiang Baiye did not bother to deny it, prompting Yun Miaoyi to clench her teeth in anger, though she was powerless against Jiang Baiye.

Hunted for several months, she was in quite a sorry state, while that woman Jiang Baiye wandered around like a female sword immortal. Yun Miaoyi was utterly frustrated and decided to simply follow Jiang Baiye.

Wasn’t Jiang Baiye looking for the Body-Cultivating Furnace? Wasn’t she trying to cause trouble for her? Then, Yun Miaoyi thought, she might as well follow Jiang Baiye.

If Jiang Baiye found traces of the Body-Cultivating Furnace, it would be the same as her finding it, thus saving her a lot of effort.

This placed Jiang Baiye in quite the dilemma, as if she continued to reveal Yun Miaoyi’s whereabouts, the real experts from Tianxuan Mountain would come and demand that she confront Yun Miaoyi alongside them, certainly making an issue out of Yun Miaoyi’s identity.

If she refused, Tianxuan Mountain might accuse her of colluding with the witch of the Yinyang Sect, which would impact the Canghai Sect as well.

With the loss of the Body-Cultivating Furnace, the Canghai Sect was already in difficulty. If the Daqian Empire were to use this as an excuse, the sect could face further repression.

After a moment of internal struggle, Jiang Baiye consented; if they truly found the Body-Cultivating Furnace, there would be time to take action then.

This matter concerned the life and death of the sect, so if Yun Miaoyi insisted on intervening, Jiang Baiye would have no choice but to join forces with the real experts of Tianxuan Mountain to eliminate Yun Miaoyi.

“How did it go? Was it that old concubine-taking ancestor who made a move?”

Upon returning to the inn, Yun Miaoyi entered Jiang Baiye’s room, casually sat on the bed, and displayed her beautiful figure with a charm that was hard to ignore.

Months had passed, and she herself had made no headway, weary from dodging her pursuers. It was as if she was either being hunted or on the run from being hunted, yet she had never considered giving up and returning to the Yinyang Sect.

Jiang Baiye ignored Yun Miaoyi’s alluring figure and the expanse of snowy white skin that was revealed and did not respond to her question, just furrowed her brow in concern.

More than four months ago, Lu Renbin’s trail had gone cold at the first battleground.

In the months that followed, she had conducted thorough investigations and could confirm that Lu Renbin had not left Fengyang Manor, and no other manors reported any traces of him.

She had identified the identities of the seven Loose Cultivators who had died on the first battlefield, all of whom had attended the Loose Cultivator assembly. She had tracked almost everyone who attended the assembly and confirmed that Lu Renbin had been there, albeit inconspicuous, leaving a faint impression on everyone.

As for what Lu Renbin did after the Loose Cultivator assembly, whether he had gone to ambush Han Li, the Loose Cultivators claimed they had no idea.

The two Loose Cultivators who had attempted to ambush Han Li but fled midway were also sought out by Jiang Baiye for questioning. Both said they did not see Lu Renbin follow and were clueless about whether Lu Renbin had attempted to ambush Han Li.

Jiang Baiye had long heard about the fake news released by Han Li and had even personally approached Li Deshun to confirm it, asking about Han Li’s strength and whether he had seen Lu Renbin, if Lu Renbin had secretly tried to assassinate Han Li…

As one of the only two survivors from that assassination attempt, Li Deshun certainly had the authority to speak.

Remembering that Han Li had also asked him if he had seen anyone, Li Deshun had a hunch that the Lu Renbin whom Jiang Baiye was searching for might be related to Han Li.

Considering that Han Li had not killed him to silence him over this matter last time, and considering that he still hoped to obtain a Lifespan Extension Pill from Han Li, Li Deshun eventually decided not to mention Han Li’s inquiries and merely acknowledged that the Loose Cultivators were those that he had helped Han Li subdue.

As for that Lu Renbin, he indeed did not see him follow to ambush Han Li.

Jiang Baiye did not make things difficult for Li Deshun, and she left The Li Manor, but doubts lingered in her mind.

The red-robed Loose Cultivator had been killed with a single palm strike, while the other six Loose Cultivators had been shot to death with archery. From what she observed, Li Deshun was skilled with the spear.

After a visit to the Tianji Pavilion, Jiang Baiye purchased information about Han Li and Li Deshun.

“`

According to the intelligence records, Li Deshun’s cultivation reached the seventh level of the Pihai Realm, and he excels in spear techniques. The most recent report was of Li Deshun collaborating with Han Li to suppress and kill seven Pihai Realm Loose Cultivators.

However, the intelligence on Han Li is rather interesting.

This individual is not a Loose Cultivator but an Inner Sect Disciple of Tianxuan Mountain. Decades ago, due to impaired aptitude, he was unable to advance to the Pihai Realm. He descended the mountain and returned to Lingjun City to spread his branches and leaves.

At the age of 195, he broke through to the Pihai Realm. His aptitude was suspected to have been restored, even improved, by an unexpected encounter. In less than twenty years, he had cultivated to the fifth level of the Pihai Realm.

Han Li stays in Lingjun City all year round, avoiding conflicts and the competition for resources, with a distinct fondness for taking concubines.

Particularly infatuated with women, he preferred taking concubines. Before reaching the Pihai Realm, he had taken six junior wives. After his breakthrough, he madly added to his harem, taking more than twenty in nearly twenty years.

In these twenty years, Han Li left Lingjun City twice, once to leave Fengyang Manor and return to Tianxuan Mountain, and another time to attend a Loose Cultivator gathering.

Han Li was skilled in saber techniques and step techniques, but this intelligence was from eighty years ago, before he left Tianxuan Mountain. After descending, Han Li had almost never engaged in combat.

This is the part that vexes Jiang Baiye.

Han Li and Li Deshun both lack skill in palm techniques and archery, yet those Loose Cultivators were killed with palm techniques and archery. There’s definitely something amiss with these two.

She had met Li Deshun, who truly possessed only the seventh level cultivation of the Pihai Realm and was proficient in spear techniques. Consequently, it is very likely that the issue lies with Han Li.

In these seventy-plus years, he must have re-cultivated some powerful palm or archery techniques, possibly linked to his mysterious encounter, making it a significant possibility that Lu Renbin went to assassinate him.

Before attending that Loose Cultivator gathering, Han Li did not expose his fifth-level Pihai Realm cultivation. Lu Renbin might not have been aware of this. Even if he were, with his ninth-level Pihai Realm cultivation, killing Han Li would have been easy.

All signs indicate that Han Li might be the murderer of Lu Renbin. The Body-Cultivating Furnace is likely in his hands.

But with only the fifth level of the Pihai Realm, how could Han Li have killed Lu Renbin of the ninth level? Further, although the other seven Loose Cultivators weren’t highly skilled, among them was one who was at the later stages of the Pihai Realm.

This is quite illogical.

Unless Han Li concealed his true cultivation, which is in fact at the Gangyuan Realm, only then could he have achieved this.

But is it possible for someone with eighth-grade aptitude to advance from the Pihai Realm to the Gangyuan Realm in the short span of seventeen years? That seems even less plausible.

Could it be that Lu Renbin’s disappearance has nothing to do with Han Li?

Is it just that Lu Renbin has gone into hiding? Or could he have been taken by some other power?

Looking at the white-haired female sword immortal standing there with a deeply furrowed brow, the witch Yun Miaoyi stretched herself, suddenly revealing a vast expanse of snowy white skin, before leisurely saying,

“What’s there to be conflicted about? Just capture Han Li and ask him, then we’ll know.”

Yun Miaoyi was aware of the intelligence on Han Li, arriving at almost the same conclusion as Jiang Baiye. However, she is not a righteous person but a witch.

Jiang Baiye is wary of Tianxuan Mountain behind Han Li, and mindful of the Daqian Empire, not wanting to attract enemies for Canghai Sect without good reason. Yun Miaoyi doesn’t care about that.

In these past few months, Tianxuan Mountain has been hunting her mercilessly. It’s a good opportunity to vent her anger on Han Li, a Tianxuan Mountain Disciple, regardless of whether he’s the murderer or whether he’s concealing his cultivation.

None of that matters. In the presence of two God Refining Realm True Masters, what trouble could the insignificant Han Li possibly stir up?

“Huh~”

Jiang Baiye exhaled a breath, having already made her decision.