Translator: CinderTL

[Senior Bai Wei, please assist this junior, considering I once risked my life to save you.] Song Wen’s message carried a hint of entitlement, as if demanding repayment for a past debt.

[Let me think about it. Return now and diligently refine your spiritual power. Remember, condensing and purifying your spiritual power will greatly benefit your advancement to body integration.] Bai Wei didn’t directly refuse Song Wen but instead offered him a crucial piece of advice.

Bai Wei’s words immediately reminded Song Wen of the Peak Void Refinement corpse cultivator from Six Fiends Hall whose cultivation he had devoured.

That cultivator’s spiritual power had been exceptionally pure and profound.

Now, looking back, Song Wen realized the man had likely been preparing to advance to body integration.

Thank you for your guidance, Senior. This junior will heed your teachings. However, regarding your insights on breaking through to the Body Integration Stage, I implore you to consider my request. Whatever conditions you set, I will strive to fulfill them.

After ending his communication with Bai Wei, Song Wen retrieved Mi Man’s Communication Jade Slip.

Fellow Daoist Mi Man, it has been many years since we last met. Do you still remember me?

[Lei Yue, you’re still alive! Truly, the Heavenly Dao is blind, sparing only the wicked in this world.] Mi Man’s reply was sharp and resentful.

[Fellow Daoist, why curse me so? We once shared a pillow, after all. Have you found another lover in these years, forgetting me, the one who first claimed your heart?] Song Wen’s tone was flippant.

"Lei Yue, you’ve ruined my reputation! How dare you spout such nonsense here?" Mi Man snapped. "What do you want from me today?"

Song Wen replied, "Fellow Daoist, you misunderstand me. Our night together, though born from a transaction, has lingered in my thoughts ever since. Your face, your every smile—they haunt me, especially during my secluded cultivation. I often find myself involuntarily thinking of you, disrupting my focus. Several times, I nearly suffered a qi deviation."

"Lei Yue, do you think a few sweet words can deceive me?" Mi Man scoffed. "Xu Mengyu was deeply devoted to you. Yet you vanished for decades, leaving her heartbroken for years. If you could treat Xu Mengyu so heartlessly, how can I trust any sincerity from you?" 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"It seems you harbor deep resentment toward me, Fellow Daoist," Song Wen said. "There are untold stories between Xu Mengyu and me that outsiders cannot comprehend. Your misunderstanding stems from your ignorance of the truth."

"Lei Yue, I have no patience for your excuses," Mi Man retorted. "Get straight to the point: what do you want from me?"

"Do you know any Gu Cultivators?" Song Wen asked, abandoning his flattery. "Preferably those who possess fifth-tier or sixth-tier Gu Insects."

After all, Mi Man still had a weakness he could exploit. If necessary, he could simply coerce her into compliance.

While coercion wasn’t as ideal as willing cooperation, obtaining the information he needed was all that mattered.

[I happen to know of an exchange conference among Gu Masters, where many have cultivated Fifth-Rank Gu Insects. However, they rarely accept newcomers. If you wish to participate, I can vouch for you, but it will cost... one hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones,] Mi Man said.

Song Wen’s eyes lit up slightly. It seemed he could shift from coercion to bribery.

Fellow Daoist, you’re asking for far too much. One hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones? I can’t afford that. I’m willing to offer one hundred high-grade spirit stones as compensation for your trouble.

[In the Southern Nether Continent, Gu cultivation is inherently secretive. Gu Masters are always cautious. Without a trusted guarantor, no outsider would ever be allowed to attend their exchange conferences. Ninety thousand high-grade spirit stones is my absolute minimum,] Mi Man insisted.

[Just for the right to attend an exchange conference? That’s not worth ninety thousand high-grade spirit stones. Five hundred—that’s the highest I’ll go,] Song Wen countered.

After a period of haggling, they finally settled on three thousand high-grade spirit stones.

Furthermore, the next exchange conference was scheduled for seven days later, and Mi Man would accompany Song Wen there.

Deep into the night seven days later, Song Wen, disguised as Lei Yue, arrived at a towering mountain three thousand miles outside Great Tan City, as agreed.

Mi Man was already waiting when he arrived.

Dressed in a pink robe, she resembled a moonlit orchid—fresh, ethereal, and yet subtly alluring. She tilted her slender, snow-white neck upward, watching Song Wen descend from the sky.

"Lei Yue, you’re late. It’s already half an hour past the Zi hour we agreed upon."

Song Wen landed three feet away from Mi Man, his gaze sweeping over her with burning intensity.

"After all these years, Fellow Daoist Mi Man has only grown more radiant. Your beauty rivals even the Moon Palace Goddess herself."

His tardiness stemmed from his suspicion that Mi Man might betray him. He had arrived five days early to monitor the area. When Mi Man appeared alone an hour earlier, he observed her from the shadows for a while before revealing himself.

Mi Man shot Song Wen a disdainful glance, her voice dripping with contempt.

"I’m not Xu Mengyu. Your tricks won’t work on me."

As she slowly ascended into the air, she continued, "Follow me. I’ll take you to the exchange conference. Once you pay me the spirit stones, we’ll be even."

Guided by Mi Man, the pair eventually arrived at a mountain valley ten thousand miles away.

The mountain valley was shrouded in a dense mist, obscuring its contents, but it couldn’t block Shadow Void’s divine sense.

Within the valley, dozens of cultivators, ranging from Nascent Soul to Void Refinement stages, wore masks, each accompanied by at least one Gu insect.

Upon receiving this information from Shadow Void, Song Wen immediately lowered his guard.

It seemed this was indeed an exchange conference for Gu Masters, and Mi Man hadn’t deceived him.

Standing on a narrow path between two mountains, Mi Man gazed at the mist before her. With a flip of her hand, she produced a white porcelain mask as thin as cicada wings and placed it over her face.

"You should wear a mask too," she advised. "To avoid trouble, participants at these conferences rarely reveal their true faces."

"Thank you for the reminder, fellow daoist," Song Wen replied, retrieving a jet-black iron mask and securing it over his own face. He then followed Mi Man along the path, stepping into the mist.

After passing through the mist, which was several li thick, the scene suddenly opened up.

Before them lay a vast plaza stretching several li across.

Two neat rows of low tables lined the plaza.

Dozens of cultivators sat at the tables, each with either a gu cauldron or a Gu insect resting directly on the surface.

Others gathered in small groups of three to five, crowding around tables to observe each other’s Gu insects.

At the entrance to the plaza stood a male cultivator in the early stage of Void Refinement, his face completely concealed by a golden human-faced mask. Only two round holes revealed a pair of slightly cloudy pupils.

The cultivator’s gaze fell upon Mi Man’s mask, his eyes brightening slightly.

"Miss Yue, long time no see. I didn’t expect you to attend the exchange conference today."

Mi Man clasped her hands in a fist salute and bowed slightly.

"Greetings, Senior Feng Mu."

"Miss Yue, no need for such formalities."

The cultivator, addressed as Feng Mu, reached out to lift Mi Man’s hands, but she deftly sidestepped him, retreating two steps.

Feng Mu’s hand froze in mid-air, a hint of awkwardness crossing his face. Yet he showed no anger, merely shifting his gaze to Song Wen.

"This fellow daoist seems to be attending the exchange conference for the first time. May I ask your name?"

Song Wen cupped his hands in a fist salute. "Junior Feng Xin, greetings, Senior."

Since Mi Man had used the alias "Miss Yue," Song Wen naturally adopted a false name as well.

Hearing this, Mi Man glanced at Song Wen before interjecting, "Senior Brother Feng Xin is my fellow disciple and has a keen interest in the Dao of Gu cultivation. He accompanied me here to broaden his horizons. Would Senior Feng Mu permit his presence?"

(End of the Chapter)

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