Gu Yuan took the Jade Scroll in his hand, infused his Divine Thought into it, and immediately nodded with satisfaction: "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Chu, this matter has nothing to do with you."

Chu Rihua nodded, then bid farewell and left.

In truth, he was also fully aware that Gu Yuan was deeply hidden, his cultivation strength unfathomable. Since he was disguised as Xiu Yanqing, he must have significant plans in mind.

This kind of matter could potentially stir up major trouble at any moment. It was something he couldn’t afford to get involved in; otherwise, it might backfire on him, so it was better to leave.

Seeing Chu Rihua hurriedly leave, Gu Yuan didn’t mind. He never planned to find any helpers for this matter but intended to resolve it himself.

However, the information Chu Rihua provided proved quite useful and might come in handy next.

With this in mind, Gu Yuan retraced his steps and left the Yin Sha Cave.

...

After leaving the Yin Sha Cave, Gu Yuan headed straight for Little Iron Cloud Island. Upon returning to Little Iron Cloud Island, he went directly to Xiu Yanqing’s residence.

Given Xiu Yanqing’s status on Little Iron Cloud Island, his residence was indeed quite impressive.

There were three Spirit Veins on Little Iron Cloud Island in total; two were of Lower Grade, while the other was a rare Upper Grade with a vast area. However, this Spirit Vein was restricted by Xiu Daozhen, who confined and purified over ninety percent of its Spiritual Qi for his own cultivation use.

As for the other two Lower Grade Spirit Veins, they were divided among other disciples and descendants.

The cave mansion assigned to Gu Yuan, masquerading as Xiu Yanqing, was quite favored and located on the Western Mountain, not far from the main Spirit Vein where Xiu Daozhen resided, approximately over a hundred miles away.

For Gu Yuan, using the Eternal Divine Escape meant it would take mere breaths to arrive; if he pushed himself, it could even be shorter.

As for going to see Xiu Daozhen now...

He certainly wouldn’t go right away without a legitimate reason. Directly seeking out Xiu Daozhen would appear suspicious to anyone.

Besides, Xiu Daozhen was currently with Zheng Xingkong discussing unknown matters; there was no need to rush in without necessity.

Gu Yuan decided to stay low in "Xiu Yanqing’s" cave mansion for a few days, avoiding any outlandish actions while gathering some information.

When the time was right, he could meet Xiu Daozhen under the guise of "Xiu Yanqing" and take action then.

With this thought, Gu Yuan returned to Xiu Yanqing’s cave mansion.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the cave mansion, a graceful and beautiful woman with a hint of charm greeted him:

"Third Master, you’ve finally returned..."

This woman was none other than Xiu Yanqing’s steward, Lu Xue, whose cultivation was not weak, and she had a somewhat ambiguous relationship with Xiu Yanqing, making her one of his trusted aides.

"Hmm."

Gu Yuan’s expression carried a hint of frustration, and he waved his hand: "Bring me some wine, Pear Blossom Brew, and deliver it to my room."

Seeing this, Lu Xue’s eyes sparkled as she gracefully bowed slightly, saying, "Your servant obeys."

Then she turned and left.

As Xiu Yanqing’s most capable and favored subordinate, Lu Xue naturally knew her Third Master was not in a good mood, so rather than inquire or comfort, she opted to obediently follow instructions.

"Who would have thought that even Xiu Daozhen’s place would have a Demon Cultivator mixed in..."

Gu Yuan glanced at Lu Xue’s retreating figure, his expression indifferent, yet his mind was churning.

Though Lu Xue appeared to practice only Immortal Daoist Techniques on the surface, Gu Yuan could vaguely discern that this woman hid a pure Demonic Qi within her, clearly having Demon Dao traces in her foundation, and she could switch from Immortal to Demon at any time if she wished.

In fact, she hid very well, and if it weren’t for his Dreamlike Illusory Flower Great Divine Techniques sharing some Demon Dao roots, Gu Yuan might not have noticed any signs.

Currently, however, this woman’s identity remained unclear.

Gu Yuan had his own matters to attend to, so was not interested in her identity.

...

Thus, in the following days, Gu Yuan lived as Xiu Yanqing, doing whatever was customary.

Sometimes cultivating, sometimes indulging in drinking and merrymaking, with no actions exceeding the bounds of his assumed identity.

Inside the cave mansion, Gu Yuan sat in the hall while a group of gracefully dressed women danced before him.

Gu Yuan occasionally drank and shouted his approval loudly.

His face flushed red, his laughter boisterous.

As for steward Lu Xue, she smiled nearby as she filled Gu Yuan’s cup with wine.

Once satisfied with food and drink, Gu Yuan clapped his hands:

"Good, well danced! Ample rewards for everyone, go to Chief Manager Lu later for your prizes."

The women then stopped and bowed lightly to Gu Yuan before retreating.

As for Lu Xue, as usual, she instructed others to clean up the remnants and then supported Gu Yuan to his inner chamber, closing the door and preparing to help him disrobe for their usual interaction.

Yet today, though typically animated, her Third Master waved his hand: "Enough, you can leave now, I’ve gained some insight and need to retreat for a while to digest it."

Lu Xue paused in surprise, then bowed low and made to retreat; however, she had just reached the door when she heard Gu Yuan say: "Oh, and during this time, keep a close watch on everything happening on the island, big or small, and report to me when I come out."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xue’s eyes flickered, but her expression remained unchanged as she bowed gently, saying, "Yes, Master!"

With that, she exited the room and silently closed the door.

After attending to some trivial matters, Lu Xue, finding no one watching, returned to her quarters.

She closed the door, activated a Restriction, and then took out some Array flags from her Storage Pouch, setting them up to trigger the Array, before finally taking out an iron basin. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

The iron basin seemed quite ordinary, silver-gray, except for the mysterious engravings on it, occasionally shimmering with threads of golden-red Spiritual Light.

Lu Xue intentionally poured some water into it and made a few Spell Formulas to activate the basin, soon making a white light appear over its surface.

Then white light rippled, spreading in circles, revealing a twisted blurry shadow.

Yet as the water’s ripples settled, the shadow grew clearer, revealing a human figure.

This figure appeared entirely cloaked in shadowy mist, emitting an aura of strange, sinister mystery that filled others with dread, despite being a mere phantom.

"Disciple Lu Xue greets Blood Cry Elder!"

Upon seeing the figure, Lu Xue bowed without hesitation, for this was a powerful Elder of her sect and also her nominal master, Blood Cry True Master.

However, in the Demon Dao, the principle of survival of the fittest prevailed; without achieving the Golden Core, Blood Cry True Master wouldn’t even acknowledge her as a disciple.