Chapter 123 - Confronting the Liar

The ninth Master of the Bai family was indeed cunning, and his calculations were very precise. Unfortunately, they still failed in the end, and instead, smoothly sent Zhang Yiyi to the lowest level.

The real reason for their mistake was that they underestimated Zhang Yiyi's caution and strength, even though they had already taken her seriously and hadn't underestimated her in the least.

"Stop gloating. Our opportunities are limited, and time is short. Let's hurry and finish them off."

Zhang Yiyi swiftly pocketed the web trap, then grabbed the storage bags from Bai Han and the attacker. She gestured to Maoqiu to collect the two corpses.

Maoqiu was immediately displeased when asked to store the two disgusting corpses of low-level human cultivators in its personal storage space. As a dignified beast, its storage space should at least contain heavenly treasures or materials of similar caliber. That space was meant to be a treasure trove, not a garbage dump for just anything, let alone two low-level human corpses.

"Collect them yourself. I'm not storing such disgusting—"

Before it could finish, Zhang Yiyi's amused yet dangerous gaze silenced it.

Zhang Yiyi didn't need to say anything. The threat hidden in her smile was clear as day.

Not going to collect them? Do you still want the Yellow Spring Flame or not?

She didn't care either way, after all, it wasn't something she was desperate to snatch. Handling corpses was not her idea of fun, but if Maoqiu wasn't doing it, was she supposed to get her hands dirty?

If she were on her own, she'd probably have to grit her teeth and do it. But since she had Maoqiu, a companion and helper, it would be a waste not to make full use of him. She wasn't about to feel guilty for being demanding.

"Alright, alright, fine! I'll do it! Just stop smiling like that. It's creepy!"

Maoqiu instantly understood the message and quickly changed its tune, no longer daring to let Zhang Yiyi handle the task.

Women are so troublesome. They can kill without hesitation, but when it comes to collecting corpses, why can't they be more decisive?

If not for the lure of the Yellow Spring Flame, it would never indulge Zhang Yiyi's whims.

Forced into compliance, Maoqiu was naturally in a foul mood. Without thinking, it blurted out the word "ugly."

Zhang Yiyi immediately stopped smiling, rolling her eyes at Maoqiu.

Heh, whoever's ugly knows it themselves. Clearly, Maoqiu has never looked in a mirror.

Originally, she had planned to give it an empty storage bag to at least separate the two corpses. But now, she decided to save herself the trouble. Let Maoqiu keep those disgusting corpses together with all the good stuff in its storage space!

Maoqiu, unaware of what it missed out on, begrudgingly stored the two human corpses and then, still unhappy, asked, "What's next?"

At that moment, the teleportation array stopped, signaling that they had arrived at their destination.

Zhang Yiyi stepped out without answering, scanning the surroundings before hiding behind a stone pillar with Maoqiu.

"What are we waiting for? Didn't you say time is limited? Why waste any more?" Maoqiu was anxious but still remembered the situation and didn't speak aloud, continuing to communicate through sound transmission. "I can sense it. The Yellow Spring Flame is just beyond that cave door. I'm certain this is the lowest level, and beyond that door is the array's core."

"So what? Can you enter right now?" Zhang Yiyi asked.

She didn't want to crush Maoqiu's enthusiasm, but it was far too impulsive.

They had killed Bai Han and his companion, but with only the teleportation array's token, entering the cave was impossible.

"Why can't we get in? I can tear open the space! What's so difficult about breaking through a door?" Maoqiu huffed.

"And then what?" Zhang Yiyi scoffed. "Tear it open this time, and what about the next time? You said it yourself: because of the formation's barriers and the fact that you're bringing me along, you'll only get one chance to tear open space and escape from here. Are you going to waste it now?"

"..." Maoqiu was silenced, suddenly realizing that in its excitement, it nearly squandered their escape plan. Feeling guilty, it shrank back into its storage space.

"And even if you could tear open space a second time, what happens once we're inside?" Zhang Yiyi continued. "There's at least one Nascent Soul-level practitioner inside. Do you think you can snatch the Yellow Spring Flame right under their nose and still escape with me unharmed?"

Hearing these words, Maoqiu's mind immediately conjured up an image of what would happen if it tore through space and entered the door behind the cave. Because of the space magic it used, as soon as it entered, both it and Zhang Yiyi would be instantly exposed. Before they even had a chance to stand properly, let alone see the Yellow Springs Fire, the practitioner inside would smack them half-dead with one palm. And then...

No, no, stop! It quickly forced itself to stop thinking along those lines.

Alright, it might really need to calm down and not act too rashly. After all, Zhang Yiyi was so cunning—since she agreed to come along to help it capture the Yellow Springs Fire, she must have a well-thought-out plan. Fine, from now on, it wouldn't hastily push or say anything rashly. It would just follow Zhang Yiyi's instructions.

Seeing that Maoqiu had finally calmed down, Zhang Yiyi said nothing more. With their current strength, trying to openly rob someone on their own turf was simply seeking death. It was better to remain hidden and wait for an opportunity, staying invisible to maximize their gain.

Even if she disguised herself as Bai Han and knocked on the stone door, what would it accomplish? She didn't even know what the Ninth Master was called, nor was she familiar with the Bai family. The moment she entered and faced their patriarch, she'd give herself away with her first words. Instead of trying to be clever, it was better to sit tight and wait for the right moment.

The ambush in the teleportation array clearly indicated that this was all secretly arranged by the Ninth Master. Soon, when the Ninth Master couldn't get his men to report back, he'd realize something was wrong. He wouldn't just sit there; he'd have to come down and investigate personally.

With no trace of his men in the teleportation array or outside the cave entrance, the Ninth Master would eventually have no choice but to enter the cave to meet the Bai family patriarch himself. All they had to do was wait for the Ninth Master and then quietly follow him inside.

Sure enough, Zhang Yiyi's prediction was spot on.

Not long after, the Ninth Master emerged from the teleportation array, his face grim and angry, followed by several attendants who looked equally serious.

"Ninth Master, there's no sign of them!"

The attendants searched the entire floor thoroughly, except for the cave door, which they hadn't entered. They looked everywhere, repeatedly, but there was no trace of Bai Han or the Ninth Master's personal guard who had accompanied him in the teleportation array. Not even the intruding thief could be found.

The Ninth Master paced back and forth, scanning the empty area. Though he could neither see nor sense any fluctuations, he was certain the thief was hiding somewhere around here, probably mocking him from the shadows. Unfortunately, he had underestimated the thief, resulting in another loss of men, and even helping them get to the lowest level right outside the patriarch's cave!

"Come out! I know you're here!"

The Ninth Master suddenly shouted into the empty space. "Even if you have some powerful concealment treasure that helps you hide for a while, do you really think you can stay hidden forever with just a magic item?"

"Come out! I can promise that if you come out on your own, the Bai family will let bygones be bygones. As long as you explain your purpose here and tell us who sent you, we can spare your life and even give you a better future."

"But if you stubbornly resist and cling to a false hope, then when we catch you, death would be a mercy compared to what awaits you!"

Maoqiu was stunned hearing the Ninth Master suddenly shout this invitation for them to step out and surrender.

"Is he stupid or something?"

A moment later, Maoqiu telepathically conveyed its ridicule to Zhang Yiyi.

"Shut up!"

Zhang Yiyi snapped back. This wasn't the time to be chatting while they were right under someone's nose.

The Ninth Master's outburst was clearly a test, a probe. Whatever his intentions were, Zhang Yiyi wasn't taking any chances. Even though she had faith in her master's ancient jade and Maoqiu's space concealment technique, there was no such thing as absolute safety. It was better to keep a low profile and not risk exposure by exchanging a few useless words.

Surprisingly, Maoqiu didn't get angry after Zhang Yiyi scolded it. Instead, it obediently fell silent. Well, to be precise, it stopped using telepathy, because technically, it hadn't opened its mouth at all.

Fine, since it had already decided to follow Zhang Yiyi's lead until they got the Yellow Springs Fire and escaped safely, it would bear whatever grievances it had. It wasn't so bad when thinking about the fire—it could handle a little indignity for that.

Maoqiu quieted down, and after a while, the Ninth Master also stopped shouting.

Despite using all his skills, he still couldn't detect any disturbances. Though he knew the thief was here, he couldn't force them out, which left him feeling unusually frustrated. It had been centuries since he had experienced such a sense of helplessness.

If this weren't the entrance to the patriarch's cave, he'd have sealed off the area and blown it to pieces, just to see how well the thief's concealment magic could hold up. But alas, he couldn't, because this was indeed the entrance to the patriarch's cave.

"Ninth Master, could it be that the person has already left this level?"

One of his attendants quietly suggested, "Maybe the target isn't the patriarch. If they really had the skill to face the patriarch, they wouldn't need to sneak around like a petty thief."

The Ninth Master didn't dismiss the idea immediately. It was plausible that the thief was here just to survey the area and learn the layout of the cave. If that was the case, there was no need for them to break into the patriarch's cave.

"But what if they are still here?"

After a moment, the Ninth Master gazed at the cave entrance, mumbling to himself. "Maybe they're waiting for me to open the door, and then sneak in unnoticed, given how powerful their concealment item is."

No one else might understand, but the Ninth Master knew well that inside the patriarch's cave was the array's core for the entire Five Yin Soul Sacrifice formation. If the array core was compromised, the entire spell would collapse.

He wasn't even sure anymore how strong this intruder was. If he accidentally brought them into the cave and something irreparable happened, it would be a disaster beyond reckoning.

"That's not really a concern," the attendant offered. "The patriarch personally set up a death trap at the entrance. Anyone without the Bai family bloodline who approaches will die instantly. No matter how well they hide, they won't survive the bloodline check."

"Right, I almost forgot that."

The Ninth Master's expression finally relaxed a little. "Hmph, let's see how far this thief can hide. I'll go inside and get the Patriarch to lend me the Tracking Mirror, and then we'll see where they can hide!"

Hidden nearby, Zhang Yiyi cringed inwardly. It was obvious these two were saying all this on purpose for her to hear.

Maoqiu, feeling increasingly restless, wanted to ask Zhang Yiyi whether the bloodline trap they mentioned was real. If it truly could detect intruders by bloodline, then they wouldn't be able to get near the cave, let alone steal the Yellow Springs Fire!

The thought that the fire might be out of reach made Maoqiu's heart ache, like a sharp sting. It hurt more than losing its life. But remembering Zhang Yiyi's previous order to "shut up," it held its tongue and refrained from asking.

When Zhang Yiyi decisively moved towards the gate, just before the Ninth Master, Maoqiu's restless heart instantly calmed.

Tsk, how could it have forgotten how crafty its partner was? Those two were clearly trying to bluff, but Zhang Yiyi wouldn't be fooled. Besides, the ancient jade from her master could conceal all traces of aura. With such a treasure, Zhang Yiyi certainly knew whether they could handle a bloodline trap or not.

With a light hum, the Ninth Master performed a special hand gesture, and before long, the stone door creaked open.

At the moment the Ninth Master stepped through, Zhang Yiyi silently followed with Maoqiu in tow.

"Hmph, bloodline trap, my foot. Human cultivators truly are the most deceitful liars."

The moment they entered, Maoqiu realized the truth, swearing to itself that it would seize the Yellow Springs Fire to avenge all the times these lying humans had tried to deceive it!