Xu Yi walked out of the cave, looked around, and after noting the location, asked the three of them, Long Haotian, "Where are you planning to go?"
Xu Yi's initial impression of the three Xuanqing Sect disciples was neither good nor bad.
After witnessing them mining in the quarry, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.
These three children had it tough.
Seeing his two junior brothers looking at him, Long Haotian remained silent for a few breaths before whispering, "We plan to go to Xiling City. There's a teleportation array there."
Xu Yi smiled slightly, "What a coincidence, I also need to take a teleportation array. Why don't we travel together?"
Long Haotian's expression darkened further.
He had previously felt that Xu Yi's attitude towards them was distant, as if she was very reluctant to get involved with them.
He had thought that once Xu Yi realized the prowess of their Xuanqing Sect disciples, she would change her mind.
But now that she was actively inviting them, as he had expected, he felt even more uneasy.
Even her smile seemed to carry hidden meanings in his eyes.
Beside them, Chen Tao had already happily agreed, leaning towards Xu Yi and calling her "Senior Sister" repeatedly.
Chen Tao was naturally lively and a bit arrogant, but after the secret realm expedition, his arrogance had been completely ground down, and his personality had become much more likable.
Wang Yi'an deeply resonated with this.
Since emerging from the secret realm, Chen Tao no longer glared at him or gave him dirty looks.
Indeed, everyone had grown after the secret realm expedition.
Despite Long Haotian's reluctance, Xu Yi still embarked on the journey to Xiling City with them.
Along the way, Chen Tao's eyes darted around, and he asked Xu Yi, who was sitting on the Flying Shuttle, "Senior Sister Xu, can you tell us what you encountered in that secret realm?"
As Chen Tao finished speaking, Long Haotian and Wang Yi'an, though appearing indifferent, subtly pricked up their ears.
They had accepted a sect mission and would have to report their findings in the secret realm to the sect upon their return.
However, after entering the secret realm, all they did was mine. They hadn't even gotten a clear look at what the secret realm looked like.
They could only pin their hopes on Xu Yi, hoping to glean some information from her.
"I was led to an artifact refining room by a puppet, and then I kept refining artifacts inside until I used up all the materials it provided. After that, I came out."
Xu Yi did not reveal the inheritance from the jade slips in the other room.
"Ah? That's all?" Chen Tao sounded a little skeptical.
Xu Yi nodded very seriously, "That's it."
Chen Tao looked at Xu Yi's sincere expression, opened his mouth, and finally said nothing.
Xu Yi and they were in a cooperative relationship, and their ability to enter the secret realm relied on Xu Yi.
Even if they suspected Xu Yi hadn't revealed the whole truth, they had no standing to blame her.
Although the clues to the secret realm were deciphered by their Xuanqing Sect, and the secret realm was found by the three of them, all the benefits went to Xu Yi alone. Chen Tao felt increasingly aggrieved.
Long Haotian felt the same grievance.
He sat on the Golden Feather and kept recalling his experiences over the past few days, realizing that everything had been going wrong for them since they arrived at Huangcheng.
Could it be that Huangcheng itself was incompatible with their energies?
Long Haotian decided to designate Huangcheng as a forbidden zone from now on and never set foot there again.
Xiling City was one of the few cities in Bozhou with a teleportation array, thus it was also one of the few prosperous places in Bozhou.
It took Xu Yi and the four of them nearly two months to travel from Huangcheng to Xiling City.
This was achieved without encountering rogue cultivators trying to rob them along the way or stopping to rest.
When Xu Yi saw the three large characters of Xiling City, she couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Long Haotian and the others, who were slightly weary, also perked up.
Long Haotian glanced at Xu Yi from the corner of his eye, secretly rejoiced that he could finally part ways with this woman.
He didn't know what Xu Yi was thinking, but after two days of traveling, she suddenly started testing their cultivation.
The fact that Long Haotian and the other two could accept the mission to explore the secret realm proved that their strength was among the best of their peers in the Xuanqing Sect.
When Xu Yi asked about their cultivation, the three looked at each other, their eyes showing displeasure, feeling that Xu Yi looked down on them, and decided to let her see their true strength.
Xu Yi, who could refine magic treasures that triggered heavenly tribulations and pass the tests of ancient powerful beings, was clearly an artifact refiner.
They decided to ask her a few questions they had accumulated recently, thinking that Xu Yi would definitely not know how to answer, and they could regain some face.
To their surprise, Xu Yi not only answered but did so concisely and in an easy-to-understand manner, even more clearly than their master's explanations.
Since then, Xu Yi seemed to have found enjoyment in guiding them, posing difficult problems for them to solve from time to time.
During this period, the three disciples of the Xuanqing Sect were mentally and physically exhausted, having been completely overwhelmed.
Now, they could finally be free.
Xu Yi was unaware that she had left such a deep psychological scar on them. She was simply too bored, and coupled with the fact that these three had rather good talent, she had casually offered some guidance.
As they neared Xiling City, the number of cultivators also increased.
Seeing Xu Yi and the others traveling on flying magic treasures, those cultivators respectfully avoided them. Only after they passed did they look up at them with awe and envy.
Xu Yi and the four stopped outside the city gate of Xiling City, put away their respective flying magic treasures, and stepped into the city.
The enthusiastic hawking and the bustling streets instantly relieved their taut nerves.
"Senior Sister Xu, thank you for your care along the way. Why don't I treat you? We can go to a restaurant here for a casual meal."
Long Haotian hesitated for a moment before finally extending an invitation to Xu Yi.
Although they had suffered Xu Yi's torment during this time, they had also gained a lot from it.
"Sure, I haven't had a chance to comfort my stomach in a while."
When someone invited them to a meal, Xu Yi naturally wouldn't refuse.
Long Haotian was slightly taken aback by Xu Yi's forthrightness.
This woman was truly not polite at all.
The four of them quickly found the largest restaurant in Xiling City.
Long Haotian was not stingy either, ordering the restaurant's signature dishes for them and a pot of spirit wine.
After the food and wine were served, Long Haotian and the other two raised their glasses to Xu Yi with complex emotions.
Xu Yi accepted their toasts without refusal, and the atmosphere at the table was relaxed and comfortable.
"Hey, have you guys heard? Quite a few people have gone missing in Xiling City recently for no apparent reason."
"Alas, I heard about it long ago. It's all over Xiling City. Haven't you noticed that the number of people coming to Xiling City has significantly decreased recently?"
"Ah, is this news true!"
"Yes, yes, a friend of my brother's disappeared inexplicably during this time. No one replies when I message them; their whereabouts and well-being are unknown."
"..."
Someone at the next table suddenly started discussing the disappearances of cultivators in Xiling City. Soon, the entire restaurant was talking about it, and these discussions were heard by Xu Yi and the four without omission.