The gathering of countless cultivators heading north, in many cases, became a sight that was both rare and yet common at present.

But just as countless cultivators were surging toward the Northern Frontier, a travel-weary young man in black clothes was hurrying all the way toward Mount Xi. When he was still more than two hundred miles away from Mount Xi, he entered a county town, stopped in front of a pawnshop not far from the city gate, and without hesitation, walked in.

The pawnshop attendant was a young man, somewhat delicate in appearance. Upon seeing the man in black, he curiously asked, “What would guest like to pawn?”

The man in black reached out and pulled a waist token from his belt, placing it on the counter.

After the young attendant took one look, his expression instantly became grave. Raising his head somewhat in disbelief, he looked at the young man before him, but quickly steadied himself and said softly, “Guest, please wait a moment.”

He turned and walked toward the inner room. Not long after, a middle-aged man came out from inside. With a glance, he signaled, and someone shut the pawnshop doors, hanging up a sign indicating it was closed.

Only after the doors were shut did the middle-aged shopkeeper bow and salute. “This subordinate greets Lord Warden Commander.”

Chen Chao reached out, took back the Hundred Streams Pavilion token, and hung it again at his waist, getting straight to the point. “Tell me everything that has happened at Mount Xi recently.”

When the Great Liang Dynasty established Hundred Streams Pavilion, its initial purpose was to deal with foreign cultivators sending people to infiltrate Great Liang, mainly to secretly investigate internal threats. But as time passed, Hundred Streams Pavilion gradually did more than just investigate such matters; they also dispatched numerous personnel to infiltrate major sects, so as to keep track of their movements in time and avoid being caught unprepared.

However, there were several sects which, for various reasons, Great Liang had not sent people to infiltrate.

Among them was the Myriad Heaven Palace.

But although Hundred Streams Pavilion had not infiltrated Myriad Heaven Palace, they had still arranged personnel around Mount Xi to conduct routine observation.

Hearing Chen Chao’s question, and realizing that the Lord Warden Commander had personally come here, the middle-aged man knew the matter was certainly not simple. He quickly said, “There have not been many events at Mount Xi these past days. The first was that on one day, it seemed as though all living things rejuvenated on Mount Xi. Within the blink of an eye, vegetation became extremely lush. But these foreign cultivators possess profound daoist techniques, so it did not seem particularly abnormal, and thus was not reported upward.”

Chen Chao nodded and said, “Talk about Zhu Xia.”

The middle-aged man was startled, but did not question it, and quickly said, “The last time that Saintess of the Myriad Heaven Palace appeared in the small town at the foot of the mountain was half a year ago. There is a preserved fruit shop there that she likes. Based on her previous frequency, she would appear almost every few days, but after Your Excellency went up Mount Xi once, it changed to once every one or two months...”

While saying this, the middle-aged man could not help but glance at Chen Chao. He did not know the details, but given his line of work, he could roughly guess some things.

“Later, when that Saintess came down the mountain again, she was often downcast...”

The middle-aged man thought that was probably due to heartbreak?

But Chen Chao had no interest in this and instead asked, “After that unusual day, did Zhu Xia come down the mountain again?”

The middle-aged man frowned, thought carefully, and shook his head. “No.”

As the local person in charge of the Hundred Streams Pavilion, not only he but the other heads shared a common ability - to remember everything that had happened over a period of time. It was so that when questioned by superiors, they could answer fluently.

Of course, such things were also definitely recorded in writing.

Chen Chao continued, “Has anything else happened at Mount Xi recently? For example, did anyone flee in haste? And when someone fled, was there anyone pursuing them?”

The middle-aged man thought for a moment, then suddenly said, “Yes. A few days ago, two streaks of rainbow light crossed the sky, rapidly leaving toward the distance. But at night, our people saw a daoist following a merchant convoy heading toward the Divine Capital.”

Chen Chao narrowed his eyes slightly, nodded, and asked no further questions.

When he was still in the Divine Capital, the moment that daoist opened his mouth, Chen Chao felt that the matter was urgent and could not be delayed, so he left quickly. But in truth, while on the road, Chen Chao reconsidered and felt that he had been somewhat impatient; he should have understood the situation clearly before acting. One could not act rashly, otherwise he would not have stopped here.

But thinking about it carefully, that earlier impatience was probably because the person involved was Zhu Xia.

Although Chen Chao had already clearly refused Zhu Xia, his feelings toward her were still complicated. Many times, he treated Zhu Xia as his own younger sister, so his momentary impatience was understandable.

“What method is there for this official to enter Mount Xi without being discovered?”

Chen Chao looked at the middle-aged man before him. His expression was calm, but the words he spoke caused the middle-aged man to feel a jolt through his entire body.

Having worked here for several years without any opportunity for promotion was because he had not accomplished any major deeds. But it was also because there had been no opportunity to do so, Myriad Heaven Palace had always been on good terms with Great Liang. But this time was different. If they could fulfill the request of the Lord Warden Commander, they would be able to add a merit to their record, and promotion would only be a matter of time.

Thus, after thinking carefully, the middle-aged man cautiously suggested, “The daoists on Mount Xi cultivate the Great Peace Dao, so in these years they have been rather casual. Although the vegetarian meals are prepared by themselves, the vegetables are still delivered by the common people from below the mountain.”

......

......

Mount Xi was shrouded in mist all year round, especially in the mornings when the fog was thick. Ordinary people could often only see a few steps ahead, so the vegetable carriers walked slowly.

The lead vegetable carrier was called Zhang Chuan, and he had been responsible for delivering vegetables to Mount Xi for ten years. Over these ten years, he had always been cautious and had never made any mistakes, but today, as he carried vegetables up the mountain, he felt uneasy.

The young man wearing a bamboo hat behind him softly reminded, “Adjust your breathing. Keep it the same as usual. Don’t make any mistakes, otherwise things will become troublesome.”

Zhang Chuan felt like crying but had no tears. Although he did not know what this person intended to do by sneaking into Mount Xi, it felt like a great trouble. But the one who had made him agree to this matter was not someone he could defy.

“Don’t worry. If you really lose this job, you will have a better one.”

The young man wearing the bamboo hat was extremely calm.

It was just a simple sentence, not even a real promise, but for some reason, Zhang Chuan’s heart suddenly calmed down.

It seemed that no matter what the person before him said, once he said it, he would definitely accomplish it.