Translator: Cinder Translations
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Upon reading this message, Song Wen furrowed his brows slightly.
He couldn't help but wonder how Rong Jingyun knew the title "Ji Yin."
[Daoist Rong, we have had some dealings in the past, so why curse me to death? How did you learn my title?]
[Back then, you faked your death and betrayed the sect, stealing many treasures. The sect sent people to search for you everywhere, but they never found your trace. Later, I heard from Fang Pengyi that you were originally from the Corpse Demon Sect. Senior Tai He from the Nine Palaces Sect personally pursued you. We all thought you had already perished at Tai He's hands. I'm curious—how did you manage to escape Tai He?] Rong Jingyun replied.
[I obtained a Soul Concealment Jade, which concealed my spiritual fluctuations and allowed me to escape by chance.] Song Wen casually lied.
[When you were only at the Foundation Establishment stage, you managed to acquire a Soul Concealment Jade? Your luck is quite impressive.] Rong Jingyun commented.
The Soul Concealment Jade was made from the forehead bone of a third-tier Nether Fox.
Across the entire Tianyuan continent, aside from the Nether Fox that Song Wen had tamed, there was probably no other living Nether Fox.
Currently, most of the Soul Concealment Jades in the cultivation world of Tianyuan were relics from the time of the Divine Blood Gate.
Therefore, compared to the chaotic seas, Soul Concealment Jades from Tianyuan were even rarer and more valuable.
In fact, not just Soul Concealment Jades—soul-related defensive treasures were also rarer in Tianyuan.
Most of the soul-related defensive treasures from the Chaotic Seas were made from the bones of the Nether Fox.
This was why Tai He and Xue Mei had tried so hard to capture the Nether Fox.
[You disappeared for over a hundred years but suddenly reappeared. It must be for something important, right?] Rong Jingyun inquired.
[Daoist Rong, your insight is as sharp as always; nothing escapes your notice. There is a small matter I wish to ask for your help with.] Song Wen responded.
[Ji Yin, back then, your betrayal of the Beastmaster Sect greatly delayed the creation of the Human Serpent Corpse. When the First Supreme of the sect learned of this, he was enraged and nearly executed Fang Pengyi.]
[If it weren't for the First Supreme's trip, during which he reached some kind of agreement with the Corpse Demon Sect to send assistance in refining the Human Serpent Corpse, Fang Pengyi would have already been executed. Although he narrowly escaped, Fang Pengyi had both his position and his status as a Peak Master stripped away.]
[Therefore, I cannot be associated with you. Given our past relationship, I advise you to stay away from the Beastmaster Sect. If the First Supreme finds out, he will not let you off easily.]
Upon reading Rong Jingyun's message, Song Wen realized that he had been somewhat presumptuous earlier.
According to Rong Jingyun, she was not going to help him investigate the clues about the Longevity Palace so easily.
In that case, Song Wen would have to place his hopes on Zhou Siyi.
Since Rong Jingyun was unwilling to assist, Song Wen didn't push the matter further and continued sending messages.
[Thank you for the advice, Daoist Rong. Since you cannot help, I won't trouble you further. But I would like to inquire about Zhou Siyi's current situation. I sent her a message, but she hasn't replied.]
[Elder Zhou is not in the sect, so she cannot receive your message and thus cannot respond.] Rong Jingyun replied.
[Would you mind telling me where she is, Daoist Rong?] Song Wen asked.
[Elder Zhou has already married.] Rong Jingyun replied.
Song Wen's brows furrowed slightly when he saw this message.
This was information the owner of the information shop had not mentioned.
[Zhou Siyi is a Golden Core cultivator. How could she marry someone outside the sect? Would the Beastmaster Sect allow it?] Song Wen asked.
[If Elder Zhou's partner were an ordinary person, the sect would never have agreed. However, her partner is Lei Jun, the heir of the Lei family. Moreover, this marriage was personally arranged by Lei Yue, the ancestor of the Lei family, who approached Supreme Elder Mi He to seek the marriage. How could they have refused?]
Song Wen suddenly remembered that when he escaped from the Corpse Demon Sect, he had met Lei Jun, the heir of the Lei family.
Lei Jun was an elderly man with white hair, although at that time, he was less than two hundred years old.
Now, after 130 years, Lei Jun should be around three hundred years old.
Moreover, there was some deep enmity between Lei Jun and Song Wen.
Lei Jun's son, Lei Tianyu, had been killed by Song Wen, although Lei Jun did not know who the true killer was.
Song Wen suddenly realized something unusual.
Marriages between major powers are common and serve as a means of mutual trust and strengthening the relationship between the parties. It's a standard and low-cost tactic.
However, such marriages are usually made public, widely announced to show the strong bond between the two forces.
Furthermore, Zhou Siyi's marriage to Lei Jun, involving both the Lei family patriarch and the Beastmaster Sect's Golden Core elder, should have been well known to all.
So why was the information shop owner unaware of this marriage?
[Zhou Siyi and Lei Jun got married without publicizing it?] Song Wen asked.
[No. The Lei family sent only a few people to bring Elder Zhou back. There wasn't even a formal wedding ceremony.] Rong Jingyun replied.
[How could this be? The head of the Lei family and a Golden Core elder from the Beastmaster Sect marrying, such a major event—why keep it so secret?] Song Wen questioned, confused.
[I don't know. This marriage was arranged by Supreme Elder Mi He and Lei Yue, the patriarch of the Lei family. It's not something I can inquire about.] Rong Jingyun answered.
[How long has Zhou Siyi been married?] Song Wen asked.
[It's been about half a year.] Rong Jingyun replied.
[What cultivation level is Lei Jun at now?] Song Wen asked.
[He's at the peak of the Golden Core stage.] Rong Jingyun answered.
[Thank you for the information, Daoist Rong. Also, congratulations on advancing to the Golden Core stage.] Song Wen sent his message.
[You should have also reached the Golden Core stage by now, right?] Rong Jingyun replied.
[Yes.] Song Wen confirmed.
TL/N: When put in perspective like this, MC's cultivation is really fast.
After ending the communication with Rong Jingyun, Song Wen pondered for a moment, then set off towards the Lei family.
Zhou Siyi's marriage to Lei Jun was full of suspicious points.
Considering that Lei Jun was at the peak of the Golden Core stage, Song Wen instinctively suspected that Zhou Siyi might possess some special constitution, and Lei Jun might want to use her to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.
Song Wen planned to visit the Lei family. If there was an opportunity to rescue Zhou Siyi, he wouldn't hesitate to take action.
The Lei family was located just over three thousand miles from the Beastmaster Sect.
He also wondered how the Lei family managed to convince the senior of the Beastmaster Sect to allow them to establish their family so close to the sect.
The Lei family's estate occupied a large area of about thirty miles. Around the estate, there was a grand city wall extending over two thousand miles, prohibiting outsiders from entering.
Song Wen could only stand outside the city wall and send a message to Zhou Siyi.
[Zhou Sister, I am Wu Sheng. I have received news, please respond as soon as possible.]
Song Wen waited another day, but still received no reply from Zhou Siyi.
This only made Song Wen more certain that there was something wrong with Zhou Siyi's marriage to Lei Jun.
Her current situation couldn't be good.
Even if she were still alive, she was probably being imprisoned by someone.
Otherwise, given their past bond, she wouldn't have failed to reply to his message.
Song Wen disguised himself, adopting the appearance of a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator and heading south.
Soon, Song Wen arrived at an open city.
The city was called Lishu City and was home to tens of thousands of people from the Lei family.
These were the common folk and those with poor spiritual roots, who were not qualified to enter the high walls to cultivate.
TL/N: Lishu Cheng literally means "Commonfolk City" or "City of the Common People."
Their only purpose was to reproduce and hope to give birth to a gifted descendant for the Lei family.
(End of the Chapter)
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