Chapter 207: Luo Xiaoyong

Chapter 207: Luo Xiaoyong

"I am the Mortal-Realm Wanderer of the Greater-Yin Cult. I came to Mount Shu Sect to see you." The lady in black...Erm...the black-clad individual whose gender remained ambiguous said to Chu Liang.

The Mortal-Realm Wanderer of the Greater-Yin Cult was like the head disciple of Mount Shu. The sect would have the most talented individual of the generation handle affairs in representation of the sect.

Chu Liang and Lin Bei were both really shocked. The person in front clearly looked like a girl, but their voice sounded a bit hoarse and deep?

"You..." Chu Liang stared at the black-clad individual as he contemplated on how he should ask the question.

Then, the black-clad individual said with his deep voice, "My name is Luo Xiaoyong.[1]"

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No girls would be named Luo Xiaoyong.

"Brother Luo, I am sorry." Chu Liang apologized as he took a seat, "My friend here misunderstood earlier... It was a bit presumptuous. But your appearance is quite deceiving. Anyway, I apologize for that."

"It's alright. It's not the first time this has happened." Luo Xiaoyong said indifferently, but then added with a change of tone, "Although, among the many lustful individuals I've encountered, there aren't many as presumptuous as him."

"Hehe." Chu Liang could only smile awkwardly.

"However..." Lin Bei still had a trace of curiosity, "Isn't the Greater-Yin Cult known for exclusively accepting female disciples? How did you manage to join?"

Luo Xiaoyong replied, "I came to investigate some matters. I shouldn't have to explain these to you guys."

Lin Bei scratched his head as his eyes filled with a gleam of admiration.

The only male disciple in the Greater-Yin Cult, amidst a sect known for its abundance of beautiful women... That sounded too good to be true.

Chu Liang asked, "I wonder what Brother Luo came to ask me about?"

"A few days ago, a man claiming to be a Whale-Riding Immortal came to the Greater-Yin Cult. He wanted the coffin that held one of our cult's predecessors from our forbidden grounds. The elders naturally refused, so he broke into the tomb that night and stole the ancient ice coffin," Luo Xiaoyong explained. "Now, our sect has issued a Mortal-Realm Wanted Notice, seeking this person across the Nine Provinces. I heard you had an encounter with him in the South Sea before. Can you provide any clues?"

"The Whale-Riding Immortal..." Chu Liang pondered.

Is he the person who might be Senior Sister Jiang's father?

Come to think of it, the lantern fish he caught at that time could also be considered the ancient tomb of an Eminent One at the Heavenly Origin Realm. Now he has gone to steal from the Greater-Yin Cult's tomb... Is he just a professional tomb robber?

If Chu Liang was honest, there was indeed some information he could provide to the Greater-Yin Cult, such as the mysterious little girl he met, and the Whale-Riding Immortal's connection with Senior Sister Jiang... but Chu Liang certainly couldn't reveal everything.

I need some time to think, Chu Liang thought to himself. And so, he asked, "Before I answer that question, I actually want to know how you joined the Greater-Yin Cult?"

Luo Xiaoyong looked at him strangely.

"Everyone knows that the Greater-Yin Cult only accepts female disciples. With doubts about your identity, I really don't know whether I should answer your question," Chu Liang said.

"..." Luo Xiaoyong pondered for a moment and said, "I guess it is okay to tell you guys about it."

He explained, "My family was originally a landowner in a mountain village in the north. My parents thought I was talented and didn't want my life to go to waste, so they hoped I would embark on the path of cultivation. My father spent a lot of money to purchase a set of cultivation techniques from the black market, claiming to be techniques of the first three realms from an immortal sect in the Divine Nine. He brought it back home for me to practice."

"I studied the techniques on my own and managed to reach the pinnacle of the third realm."

Hearing this, Chu Liang was surprised.

Without any guidance and without any access to cultivation resources, only one out of ten thousand people could grasp the basics of a random set of techniques.

Those intricate and complex cultivation paths were often incomprehensible to ordinary people, let alone to practice. Yet, Luo Xiaoyong managed not only to grasp the basics but also to reach the pinnacle of the third stage all by himself!

It was simply astounding!

"Alright." Chu Liang nodded and answered, "I have met that Whale-Riding Immortal before..."

"Previously, I went to the Immortals' Marsh to search for the Celestial Herb of Ascension. I jumped into the depths of the marsh to save a drowning little girl and stumbled upon an ancient tomb inside a fish's belly, where I unexpectedly found the Celestial Herb of Ascension," Chu Liang recounted, carefully choosing his words. "Shortly after, when I escaped from the fish's belly, I found myself in the Southern Sea. That's where I encountered the person who had caught the big fish, claiming to be the Whale-Riding Immortal. He then took the little girl with him, while I returned to Mount Shu. We barely interacted."

Chu Liang's account was mostly truthful, omitting only the part about Jiang Shijie. Concealing too much would make his story less coherent, and Luo Xiaoyong might become suspicious. It was better to tell the truth, with strategic omissions.

Luo Xiaoyong nodded and then suddenly asked, "Do you know anything about the identity of that little girl?"

"No," Chu Liang immediately replied. "At the time, I was just curious about how a little girl ended up in the Immortals' Marsh. I wondered if she was some evil spirit in disguise, but later found out she wasn't. That's why I went down to rescue her when she fell into the water."

"So you followed that girl into that tomb in the fish's belly. You accidentally entered, but did she?" Luo Xiaoyong continued asking.

Chu Liang felt a slight pressure; this person was indeed sharp. Instead of dwelling on Chu Liang's shallow impression of the Whale-Riding Immortal, he focused on the details.

He answered honestly, "I don't think she did. It seemed like she had intentionally entered that place."

This was the safest answer, as the actual situation was that the little girl seemed to be returning home. Chu Liang also didn't want to reveal the fact that the tomb's owner belonged to the Jiang family or disclose the secrets of the origin of the Celestial Herb of Ascension, so he omitted some details.

"Do you know the owner of that tomb?" Luo Xiaoyong asked.

"I don't," Chu Liang said as he shook his head.

Ripples appeared in Luo Xiaoyong's eyes. The Supreme Mind makes everything appear as clear as if looking at a mirror.

Luo Xiaoyong immediately pointed out, "You are lying."

Chu Liang immediately understood that Luo Xiaoyong was probably able to use a similar method as the Mind-Reflecting Candle.

He had omitted some crucial details earlier, though the rest of the experience he recounted was true. Consequently, he managed to avoid discovery. However, when he spoke words contrary to his heart, he was immediately caught.

So he chuckled lightly and said, "Because this matter involves the origin of the Celestial Herb of Ascension, it is an extremely important secret. However, it has no connection with the identity of that Whale-Riding Immortal. Therefore, I feel it would be inappropriate to speak frankly to Brother Luo. Please forgive me."

Luo Xiaoyong nodded gently.

Chu Liang immediately admitted to his lie in a straightforward manner, which actually dispelled any suspicion Luo Xiaoyong might have had. After all, he came to request assistance and information, not to interrogate a suspect. The other party was not obligated to disclose everything, especially when it concerned the interests of the sect.

"You mentioned that he used a fishing rod to catch the big fish. That fishing rod must have been an enchanted tool, right?" Luo Xiaoyong suddenly asked. "Do you remember what it looked like?"

Such a tricky question... Chu Liang thought to himself.

But Chu Liang immediately understood why he asked it. It was very rare and peculiar to have a fishing rod as an enchanted tool. As long as it wasn't a personally crafted item, it wouldn't be difficult to trace its origin. This meant that they could uncover the identity of the person by tracing the origin of the fishing rod.

Pursuing someone with such a high cultivation level worldwide and capturing them was practically impossible. However, if they could trace the origin of the fishing rod, there might be a lead.

Chu Liang didn't conceal anything as he described it vaguely, saying, "It was a white rod with a golden lines around it. The material looked quite valuable."

"Alright," Luo Xiaoyong said. "That's about it. Thank you for your cooperation."

As he rose to leave, Lin Bei suddenly asked, "Brother Luo, actually, I have another question."

"Hmm?" Luo Xiaoyong turned to look at him.

His gaze seemed to say, "Let's see what nonsense you're about to spout..."

With a sincere expression, Lin Bei asked, "I was wondering, since the Greater-Yin Cult has already accepted its first male disciple, which was quite a break from tradition, is there any possibility of recruiting a second one? Um... I don't have to practice the sect's techniques, I just want to contribute... because since childhood, I have dreamt of joining the Greater-Yin Cult..."

Luo Xiaoyong looked at him and, once again, in a deep voice, uttered, "Get lost."

1. 罗(Luo is the surname) 小勇 meaning brave little one. ☜