"Shi Lan, stop trying to comfort me. Boss and Xiang Jian are both at the Foundation Establishment stage. Compared to them, I'm still too far behind," Shan Yun said dejectedly.
It was one thing to be outmatched by Xiao Man, as she was used to being beaten by her. But everyone around Xiao Man was stronger than her. Even Yu Da had reached the eighth stage of Qi Condensation, making her the weakest. Naturally, she felt a pang of disappointment.
Poison Lady slung an arm around Shan Yun's shoulders, and they walked out together. "Those two are freaks. We're normal people; we can't compare ourselves to freaks. We should compare ourselves to normal people. Comparing ourselves to freaks will only make us sick with anger. Look at you, you know so many spiritual herbs and medicines. That's something others can't compare to you in."
"Where do you think Boss will go to a sect?"
"She has high cultivation and is knowledgeable about various spiritual herbs and medicines. If she wanted to, she could go to any of the Seven Great Sects. And it's possible all seven would want to recruit her. But we're different," Poison Lady said wistfully. "We have to do our utmost to enter the sect we desire, and it's possible we won't succeed even with all our effort. Even so, we must give it our all, or we'll fall too far behind to catch up."
Shan Yun fell silent. Their cultivation speed was already very fast, but they couldn't compare to Xiao Man and Xiang Jian. Poison Lady and Zhou Yan had already reached the ninth stage of Qi Condensation, but Zhou Yan had met with misfortune. Xi Wen and Qi Hong had not yet been found. These few people, before even leaving Wuji City, had faced life and death separations. She wondered what awaited her after they left Wuji City.
"Shi Lan, are you afraid of dying?"
"Afraid? Who isn't afraid of dying?" Poison Lady said boldly. "Go ask Boss if she's afraid of dying. Ask the City Lord if he's afraid of dying. Humans fear death; it's their nature. But people with backbone won't abandon their principles and bottom lines just to cling to life."
"Will we have to part ways with Boss after the recruitment大会?" Shan Yun didn't want to be separated from Xiao Man. She wanted to follow Xiao Man forever, but she knew Xiao Man wouldn't stay here, nor would she always be in the Seven Great Sects. One day, she would go to the aristocratic families, or even become a disciple of a major sect. At that time, would she still care about them?
"Isn't parting ways normal?" Poison Lady was more open-minded. No one would stay with them forever, but parting ways didn't mean never seeing each other again. If fate allowed, they would meet again. Moreover, the promise made with Xiao Man was to leave the Land of No Return, and their future paths were theirs to walk.
"Aren't you feeling sad or reluctant?"
"Reluctant, yes, but not sad. It's not like we'll never see each other again," Poison Lady said calmly. "As long as we cultivate diligently, we will meet again."
"Qi Hong and Xi Wen haven't been found yet. I don't know if they're safe," Shan Yun sighed. Although she didn't like Qi Hong, he was still a clansman. Having someone to look out for each other, and knowing he was safe, would provide some comfort. But unfortunately, Qi Hong had disappeared. Su Dan Novel Network.
"Esteemed elder brother, we are looking for Xiao Qin, Boss Xiao," the Hou brothers said cautiously at the entrance of the City Lord's mansion.
"Scram, scram, scram! You think you can see Young Master Xiao just like that?" the guard at the gate berated them. The Hou brothers had a bad reputation in Wuji City, which was why the guards were not fond of them.
"Elder brother, we truly have something important to discuss with Boss Xiao. Boss Xiao said that if we had any matters, we should come to the City Lord's mansion to find her," Hou Wu said, suppressing his temper and speaking politely.
"If you don't leave, we'll get rough with you..."
"What's going on?"
"Miss Shan Yun, Miss Shi Lan, these two said they came to see Young Master Xiao, but these two are notorious rascals in Wuji City. We'll drive them away immediately."
"Miss Shan Yun, we meet again," Hou Wu said, seeing Shan Yun, and immediately greeted her with a smile. "We met in the Roland Mountain Range. Do you remember?"
"I remember. You stole our prey back then."
Hou Wu's expression froze. He lightly slapped his own face. How could he bring up such a sensitive topic? "We're here to find Boss Xiao. Boss Xiao asked us to help her with some business, and we have a lead, so we've come to find her."
Shan Yun frowned. She didn't believe the Hou brothers in the first place. Their first impression on her was bad, and she instinctively wanted to dismiss them. Poison Lady stopped her.
"Boss asked you to come to the City Lord's mansion to find her?"
"Yes. She said if she had any news, she would come to the City Lord's mansion to find her."
Poison Lady pondered for a moment. "Then you may come in. I will take you to see her."
"Thank you, Miss Shi Lan," Hou Wu said triumphantly, pushing past the guards who were blocking the door. He walked in with his head held high. He thought to himself, "You look down on people now, but wait and see. One day, my brothers will make you look up to us!"
"Shi Lan, how could you let them in? They might be lying."
"They wouldn't dare," Poison Lady said confidently. "To lie to Boss in front of her is like holding a lantern in a latrine, courting death."
Shan Yun fell silent for a moment, then felt that Poison Lady made sense. However, she still felt it was unlikely these two would have any leads. "They're just hoodlums. What leads could they possibly have?"
"That's where you're mistaken. A strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake. These two have been mingling in Wuji City for many years. It's much easier for them to gather information than it is for us," Poison Lady glanced at the two following behind them. Perhaps it was related to the missing individuals.
When Poison Lady brought the Hou brothers over, Xiao Man was about to take a nap to recuperate and continue her search for a way to resolve the lightning power. Seeing the Hou brothers arrive, she jumped out of bed with a practiced flip.
"You have a lead?"
"Boss Xiao, we have a lead," Hou Wu said, rubbing his hands together with a lewd smile.
Xiao Man understood his meaning immediately and tossed him a bag of money. Hou Wu opened it and looked inside, then his face broke into a wide smile. "We heard that the Five Poisons Sect has recently accepted a new disciple. That disciple has advanced from the seventh stage of Qi Condensation to the Foundation Establishment stage in a short period."
Xiao Man frowned. What did the new disciple of the Five Poisons Sect have to do with Xi Wen and the others?
"Who is the new disciple of the Five Poisons Sect?"
"Qi Hong."
"Impossible!" Shan Yun immediately retorted. "How could Qi Hong join the Five Poisons Sect?"
"Boss Xiao, we also suspected we were mistaken, so we specifically went to stake out the Five Poisons Sect's outpost. Qi Hong has indeed joined the Five Poisons Sect and has become a personal disciple of one of their elder deacons. His status has risen rapidly."
Hou Liu chimed in, "As for Xi Wen, we suspect he is in the Thousand Mechanisms Sect."
"Just a suspicion, no evidence?"
"The Thousand Mechanisms Sect has always been mysterious, with formations protecting its periphery. We can't get close at all. Moreover, the people of the Thousand Mechanisms Sect are skilled at making all sorts of exquisite hidden weapons. If we were to approach rashly, we wouldn't even have a chance to escape. Therefore, it's just a suspicion."