Heaven rewards diligence, but there are always fairies plotting against me.

Actually, upon hearing this, Chu Chang knew perfectly well that Lin Ruoxue's claim of noise outside was a lie; the real reason was that she wanted to find him!

A moment later, Lin Ruoxue walked in.

I didn't sleep a wink tonight.

Several days later, sunlight pierced through the thick clouds and weakly shone on a barren wasteland full of jagged rocks.

On the outermost edge of Blackwind Valley lies a small town called Blackwater Town.

This place is a notorious no-man's-land. Due to its proximity to the desolate and treacherous Black Wind Valley, the town is shrouded in a faint stench of blood and decay year-round.

The streets were lined with low, simple stone houses, and most of the people coming and going were in a hurry, each with a fierce aura and a look of vigilance and ruthlessness in their eyes.

They might be mercenaries who have risked their lives, wanted criminals with nowhere else to turn, or black market merchants who have come here to sell stolen goods.

In order to avoid attracting attention, Chu Chang and Lin Ruoxue changed out of their conspicuous Divine Sword Sect disciple attire before entering the town.

At this moment, Chu Chang was wearing a slightly worn gray coarse cloth robe, with an ordinary-looking iron sword hanging at his waist. His face was sallow, and he exuded the aura of an ordinary rogue cultivator in the Body Tempering Realm!

Lin Ruoxue wore a bamboo hat with a black veil hanging down, covering her stunningly beautiful face. She also wore a large blue Taoist robe, which completely concealed her graceful figure, disguising her as a taciturn female companion.

The two walked side by side on the muddy street, seemingly wandering aimlessly, but in reality, they were listening carefully and keeping an eye on everything around them.

"We can't ask Zhao Meng directly about his whereabouts," Chu Chang whispered to Lin Ruoxue beside him as they walked. "Zhao Meng betrayed the sect and stole important items. He must be extremely nervous now. If we ask for his name directly, it will attract the attention of those demonic spies in Black Wind Valley within half an hour."

Lin Ruoxue nodded slightly, a look of approval flashing in her beautiful eyes beneath the bamboo hat.

She discovered that Chu Chang was not only incredibly strong, but his experience and shrewdness in the martial world were far beyond what one would expect from a young disciple who had only recently joined a sect.

"So how should we proceed?" Lin Ruoxue asked telepathically.

"Go to a tavern or the black market exchange. Those places have the most mixed information, and it's easiest to get them to talk with spirit stones." Chu Chang's eyes flickered slightly as he pointed to a stone house ahead with a tattered wine flag hanging on it, from which came bursts of noise. "Let's go take a look there."

This tavern is called the One-Eyed Dragon Tavern.

Upon entering, a strong smell of cheap, adulterated liquor mixed with the stench of sweat and blood hit you. Around a dozen or so dilapidated wooden tables sat all sorts of independent cultivators.

Chu Chang led Lin Ruoxue to a corner where they found an empty table to sit down.

"Shopkeeper, bring me a pot of the strongest liquor, and two catties of cooked beef!" Chu Chang slammed his hand on the table and shouted in a rough voice, befitting a low-level rogue cultivator who had been fighting outside for many years.

"Alright, please wait a moment, sir!" A one-eyed shopkeeper responded and quickly brought over the wine and meat.

Chu Chang took out a few low-grade spirit stones of mediocre quality and fiddled with them in his hand. Seemingly casually, he said to the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper, my sister and I came all the way from the east, intending to collect some 'Blackheart Grass' in Black Wind Valley to exchange for cultivation resources. But as soon as we arrived in town, we sensed something was wrong. Why are there so many more sect checkpoints on the road? Has something major happened in Black Wind Valley recently?"

The one-eyed shopkeeper looked at the spirit stones in Chu Chang's hand, a glint of greed flashing in his turbid eyes.

He casually wiped the table and lowered his voice, saying, "Hey, buddy, you're well-informed. Take my advice, don't go into the valley these next couple of days."

"Oh? Why is that?" Chu Chang casually stuffed two spirit stones into the shopkeeper's palm.

The shopkeeper accepted the spirit stones, his expression immediately becoming much more eager. He leaned closer and whispered, "To tell you the truth, there was a big commotion in the valley the day before yesterday. I heard that a powerful rogue cultivator from out of town offended the Divine Sword Sect and was being chased by their experts. But that guy is quite a ruthless character. Despite being severely injured, he actually managed to break into the Ten Thousand Poison Cave deep within Black Wind Valley. His fate is unknown now."

Chu Chang's heart skipped a beat, but he feigned surprise: "Went into the Ten Thousand Poison Cave? Isn't that place full of poisonous fog and teeming with monsters? Isn't that person courting death by going there?"

"Who says otherwise? However, I heard that man possesses a treasure capable of warding off all poisons. So, these past two days, not only have the Divine Sword Sect members been guarding the valley entrance, but also the henchmen of several demonic forces within the valley, such as the Blood Fiend Sect and the Hundred Poisons Sect, have been secretly searching for his whereabouts, all wanting to seize his treasure. The valley is now in complete chaos; with your cultivation levels, you wouldn't even be enough to fill a tooth gap!"

Chu Chang and Lin Ruoxue exchanged a glance, both seeing understanding in each other's eyes.

This wandering cultivator being hunted down is most likely the traitor Zhao Meng!

And that treasure that can ward off all poisons is probably the sect's secret treasure that he stole from the Divine Sword Sect.

Chu Chang feigned fright, shrinking back slightly, and stuffed another spirit stone into the man's hand. He lowered his voice and asked, "Thank you for the tip, shopkeeper. But… since that person entered the Ten Thousand Poisons Cave, how did those demonic forces and sect disciples know he wasn't dead? Do they have some concrete clues?"

The shopkeeper chuckled mysteriously and said, "You've come to the right person. Last night, several outer disciples of the Blood Fiend Sect carried two seriously injured men back to the town's clinic. An old friend of mine works there, and she told me that the two wounded men were injured in the 'Misty Forest' outside the Ten Thousand Poisons Cave by a guy wielding a heavy sword and missing a little finger on his left hand, who used lightning-fast techniques. The heavy sword and the missing finger match up perfectly, don't they?"

Upon hearing the words "wields a heavy sword and is missing a little finger on his left hand," Chu Chang and Lin Ruoxue were both shocked.

This is precisely Zhao Meng's most distinctive physical feature!

"I see. Thank you, innkeeper. We really dare not go to Black Wind Valley. After we finish our meal, we'll head back home." Chu Chang cupped his hands, revealing a look of lingering fear.

"A wise choice. Preserving your life is the most important thing." The shopkeeper patted Chu Chang on the shoulder, pocketed the spirit stones, and left happily.

After the shopkeeper had walked away, Chu Chang picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and said to Lin Ruoxue in a very low voice, "Senior Sister, the clues have matched up. Zhao Meng is currently hiding in the area between the 'Misty Forest' and the 'Ten Thousand Poison Cave' deep within Black Wind Valley. However, the Blood Fiend Sect and other pursuit teams from the Divine Sword Sect are probably also keeping an eye on that area, so we must act quickly."

Lin Ruoxue's face beneath her bamboo hat appeared somewhat grave: "The Misty Forest is shrouded in poisonous fog, making it easy to lose one's way. Furthermore, with the involvement of demonic forces, this battle is likely even more dangerous than dealing with Song Qing. Chu Chang, what are your plans?"

Chu Chang put down his wine cup, a cold glint in his eyes like a hunter eyeing its prey.