Brother, how come you're a witch?

In Guanyu Valley, water vapor floats and condenses into wispy clouds that rise into the night sky.

The once bright moonlight has become dim and unclear.

Su Yan led Ye Jingqiu back the way they came, thinking about the words in the telegram the whole way, and became somewhat lost in thought.

It wasn't until his clothes were tugged that he snapped out of his daze and turned to meet Ye Jingqiu's deep, unfathomable eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"I'll go that way."

Ye Jingqiu raised his finger and pointed in a direction:

"I'll return the clothes to you tomorrow."

Su Yan then realized that they were almost at the main road in front of the Dao Discussion Square. From here, the outer disciples' residence and Ye Jingqiu's remote little building were in two completely opposite directions.

He nodded somewhat absentmindedly: "Okay."

Ye Jingqiu didn't leave, but stood there staring at him:

"What happened tonight..."

"I understand, let's pretend it never happened."

Su Yan said in a straightforward manner.

"oh."

Ye Jingqiu's lips twitched almost imperceptibly:

"Good to know."

After saying this, she turned around and walked towards the small building where she lived, but after only two steps, she looked back.

"What was the content of that Fetion message you just saw?"

"It's nothing."

Su Yan shook his head:

"It's a trivial matter."

"But you became distracted after watching it."

No way.

"Yes, you could have come back on a flying sword, but you took the long way," Ye Jingqiu said earnestly.

Su Yan was taken aback:

"Why didn't you remind me?"

"I see you're thinking."

"I've never seen you so tactful before."

Su Yan chuckled, wanting to go up and pat Ye Jingqiu on the head, but since they were only a few steps apart, he merely raised his hand and then lowered it again.

Ye Jingqiu caught a glimpse of his hand gesture out of the corner of her eye, and the corners of her mouth curled up again:

"I've always been careful not to ask who was on the other end of the Fetion message."

So actually, I still want to ask... Su Yan said helplessly:

"He's my good brother. I'll introduce you to him sometime."

Ye Jingqiu stared into his eyes for a while, her delicate nose twitching slightly, as if she were sniffing to see if he was lying.

But Su Yan's statement was absolutely true.

Ye Jingqiu nodded and said calmly:

"it is good."

"Alright, it's getting late, let's go back."

Seeing this, Su Yan waved his hand at her:

"Don't worry too much about the monsters; the situation might be a bit complicated."

"How many secrets do you have?" Ye Jingqiu asked expressionlessly.

There's actually only one.

"Do I have a chance to find out?"

"Maybe."

"it is good."

Ye Jingqiu's eyes twitched slightly:

"If you need any help..."

"I'll definitely contact you."

Su Yan patted his chest:

"Overtime pay will be given."

"I don't even look at what you have."

Ye Jingqiu turned her head slightly.

She finally decided to leave, and walked away wrapped in a large robe.

Su Yan watched her retreating figure and chuckled to himself—what was this? The pride of a poor sword cultivator?

He watched Ye Jingqiu slowly disappear at the end of the road and suddenly realized that the latter had not been wearing shoes and had walked this far with him barefoot the whole time.

Even though her feet were wrapped in spiritual energy, the white socks made of ice silk were completely torn.

"Tsk."

Su Yan stroked his chin, wondering if he should compensate Ye Jingqiu with a pair of shoes later.

But she's actually wearing white stockings? I remember complaining to her before that "it's a pity Liu Baishuang doesn't wear white stockings anymore," and she was very disdainful of this kind of slippery silk fabric that might affect her swordsmanship.

So she secretly wears them in private, but only the thinnest style, so you can't tell from the sliver of her calf peeking out between the skirt and boots.

Su Yan shook his head and decided to go to the market in a few days to buy Ye Jingqiu a few more pairs of shoes. He then turned and headed towards the outer disciples' residence.

He went straight back to his residence. It was already late, and the old man guarding him gave him a very unfriendly look.

Su Yan, with his strong mental fortitude, ignored it and returned to his room.

After closing the door, he couldn't wait to take out the communication jade token and the bell.

I just sent Li Changsheng a message on Feixin to inquire about the specific situation, but I haven't received a reply yet.

So he had no choice but to focus his attention on the bell.

This bell is a blend of ancient and modern styles. Its shape conveys a sense of antiquity, but the inscriptions on it are quite new, suggesting that it was an antique that was modified using modern technology.

With his thousand-year-old eyesight, Su Yan could tell that this strange bell was a beast-taming bell.

There are many different schools of cultivation, each with its own unique methods. Among them, there is a group of people who specialize in studying how to control spirit beasts and are known as spirit beast masters.

Most spirit beasts are actually demon beasts. Cultivators subdue them and insist that they are spirit beasts. Then they use their cultivation techniques to establish a special connection with them. This step is called a contract.

Of course, not all demonic beasts can be tamed by beating them, and not all demonic beasts that have been beaten into submission can be directly contracted. Some beasts have special physiques and require cultivators to meet certain conditions before they can be contracted, while others simply cannot be contracted at all.

As a result, various beast-taming magical artifacts appeared to solve the first two situations and overcome the latter.

The Beast Taming Bell is one of the more common types, and its main function is to calm spirit beasts and make them more obedient.

"Could this person who's been spying on me, this treacherous demon, be a cultivator from the Beast Taming faction within the Xuanqing Sect?"

Su Yan touched his chin.

This inference is reasonable.

The Heavenly Demon is very good at hiding, so sneaking into the Xuanqing Sect wouldn't be a big problem. However, with so many elders watching him, it would be difficult for the Heavenly Demon to do whatever he wanted.

He might incite or coerce immature disciples into working for him to achieve his own goals.

This is also a common tactic used by demons when they invade the cultivation world: to cultivate traitors.

"Following this line of reasoning, the Heavenly Demon spy who came to Little Bamboo Peak tonight was probably assigned by the Heavenly Demon to further clean up the traces of demonic creatures left on Enlightenment Cliff."

Su Yan muttered to himself:

"But I didn't expect to run into Ye Jingqiu and me. I was so nervous that I cried out... After all, I was someone who could be bewitched and coerced by a weak demon. My temperament was indeed not good."

Thinking about this further...

Li Changsheng likely saw this person with the demon in Guanyu Valley during his investigation tonight, and may have even fought with him. At the very least, this person must have discovered him.

That's why the monsters left Guanyu Valley and moved away. This person also changed direction many times on his way to Xiaozhu Peak, hiding his true identity.

reasonable.

Su Yan nodded:

"His escape techniques are unique, and his ability to conceal his breath is also quite advanced. He shouldn't be an ordinary disciple; he must be a personal disciple at least."

A disciple personally taught by a beast tamer? And a woman at that.

Su Yan closed his eyes, and a map of the Xuanqing Sect appeared in his mind.

He marked each of the immortal peaks where the art of beast taming was studied, and judging from their locations, the one closest to Guanyu Valley was the Spirit Beast Peak.

There are indeed many female disciples on Spirit Beast Peak.

Su Yan opened his eyes and looked at the beast-taming bell, saying:

"It seems I'll have to make a trip to Spirit Beast Peak."