Chapter 245
She indeed held some regard for Zheng Fa, her words earnest.
Zheng Fa seemed to sense her good intentions; instead of getting angry, he looked somewhat grateful. "Xiao Xianzi, don’t worry, I’ll remember that."
After saying this, he glanced at the small booklet in his hand, chuckling as he shook his head. "I did have some thoughts before, but since I’ve never been to the secret realm, I’ll naturally defer to you, Xiao Xianzi."
"Oh?" Seeing him so receptive to her advice, Xiao Yu Ying smiled and said with interest, "You have some ideas? May I take a look?"
"It’s just some random musings of mine."
Zheng Fa handed over his booklet.
Xiao Yu Ying flipped through it, and on the first page, she found a line of text—"Mogin Huadiao Archaeological Plan" crossed out.
Confused, she turned to the next page.
At the top of the following page were eight large characters: "Data Collection, On-Site Investigation."
Below, there were several key points:
First, collect biographical information on the Tianhe Zunzhang, focusing on the activities of the Tianhe Sect in the secret realm.
Second, clarify the terrain of the secret realm, particularly the safety and accessibility of the entrances and exits.
Third, gather information on the threatening sects of cultivators in the vicinity.
...
Xiao Yu Ying pursed her lips and flipped further.
She discovered that Zheng Fa had divided this exploration of the secret realm into three parts: preliminary preparations, exploration points, and risk assessments, with some contingency plans at the end.
For instance, in the exploration points, Zheng Fa emphasized that besides collecting magical treasures and spiritual materials, it was equally important to gather insights on the restrictions of the secret realm, architectural structures, and historical information.
This was a direction Xiao Yu Ying had sensed but hadn’t paid much attention to.
The most detailed part was Zheng Fa's risk assessment.
"The risks mainly come from three points—"
She read softly:
"First, consider the presence of people or things in the secret realm that could endanger the lives of explorers, such as dangerous restrictions or suppressed ancient demons... Solution: prepare magical treasures or spiritual talismans for breaking restrictions and escaping."
"Second, risks arising from competition among surrounding cultivators..."
"Third, risks from the covetousness of others after obtaining treasures... Solution: conceal identity, emulate the wisdom of capturing demons."
"You..."
Xiao Yu Ying gently closed the booklet, unsure of what to say.
Some of the ideas were quite novel, but most had already been vaguely recognized by others. However, such a systematic summary and plan was something she had never encountered before.
She had never seen anyone like Zheng Fa, who seemed to want to consider every aspect before entering the secret realm and had even prepared numerous contingency plans.
"What do you think?"
What do I think?
I copied it...
"Xiao Xianzi, I’m just the kind of person who likes to daydream..." Zheng Fa chuckled, a bit embarrassed. "Of course, you have rich experience; this booklet of mine might seem laughable."
"No... Your ideas are great," Xiao Yu Ying said softly, to his surprise.
After a moment, Zheng Fa heard Xiao Yu Ying exclaim:
"No wonder... Zhang Wuyi has such good taste!"
Huh?
What does this have to do with Senior Sister Zhang?
Xiao Yu Ying was acting quite strangely.
---
**Chapter 231: The Warning of the Cursed Sun Sword Immortal**
"Xiao Xianzi, are you sure you don’t have any other disguising magical treasures?"
Zheng Fa intended to disguise himself.
But he hadn’t considered dressing as a woman.
Standing in front of the mirror, he saw himself in a flowing, pale yellow skirt, exuding an ethereal aura. His face was soft-featured, with fair skin, large eyes, and a delicate nose.
Even when looking at Xiao Yu Ying, he had an air of pitiful charm.
How to put it? He would have liked this face on anyone else... but it just didn’t work on him.
"No," Xiao Yu Ying’s smile made Zheng Fa feel like she was enjoying the show. "This Rainbow Feather Garment is my best disguising magical treasure; even a Yuanying cultivator can’t see through it."
"Besides, I don’t usually like disguises. If I were to disguise myself, it would only be as a female cultivator; I wouldn’t need any other magical treasures."
"…"
After glancing at his reflection again, Zheng Fa sighed lightly; there was no other way.
The Jiushan Sect wasn’t as wealthy as Xiao Yu Ying...
As a disciple of the sect leader, he knew there were no illusionary magical treasures in the sect that could fool a Yuanying cultivator.
With the scarcity of Xuanwei materials, having a personal magical treasure was already considered quite wealthy—Zheng Fa always thought that for most cultivators, this personal magical treasure was probably something they spent their life savings on, more important than their own lives...
Only Xiao Yu Ying could casually pull out a magical treasure.
That secret realm might be related to the Tianhe Zunzhang, or even to new laws... Zheng Fa absolutely did not want to go there openly.
If he had to dress as a woman, so be it!
"Shall we go?"
Seemingly understanding that Zheng Fa had compromised, Xiao Yu Ying asked with a smile.
Zheng Fa nodded.
Xiao Yu Ying turned and walked toward the courtyard gate.
"Xiao Xianzi!" Zheng Fa hurriedly called out, "Do you have any magical treasures that can let us leave the courtyard without being seen by others?"
Are you kidding? Wandering around Jiushan Sect like this...
Would he still be able to show his face afterward?
"…"
Xiao Yu Ying looked him up and down, smiled, and her feet shimmered with light.
Before Zheng Fa, a long pole-like handrail appeared, surrounded by a half-height fence.
He then realized he was already in an ancient battle chariot, the wooden body a deep red, shimmering with colors that seemed to shield them from prying eyes.
Pulling the chariot was a fierce beast, black and white, baring its teeth.
Zheng Fa grinned.
Now he was seeing a real national treasure...
Though it felt a bit fierce, something seemed off.
"This Iron-Eating Beast is my spirit pet," Xiao Yu Ying introduced with a smile. "This beast loves to eat all kinds of Xuan iron; you know, I’m not lacking in that."
It was clear she quite liked this spirit pet.
To be honest, Zheng Fa felt a bit envious—an upgraded national treasure, exclusively for her, cute, cuddly, and fierce.
Who wouldn’t be smitten?
The Iron-Eating Beast, though seemingly bulky, was an excellent puller, covering a thousand miles in just half a day.
"Xiao Xianzi? Why is it so desolate around here?"
Looking at the scenery before him, Zheng Fa couldn’t help but be astonished.
He saw an expansive, barren land, devoid of any vegetation.
Large chunks of cracked red earth stretched from beneath their feet to the horizon.
Aside from the red earth and the blue sky, there was no third color in the world.
"I don’t know either," Xiao Yu Ying shook her head lightly, her expression also puzzled. "This place should have been buried underground, emerging along with the spiritual vein."
"The red soil you see now..."
Xiao Yu Ying suddenly turned to Zheng Fa: "It should be blood."
"Blood?"
Zheng Fa felt a chill run down his spine.
"I’m not sure, but I’ve seen records."
Xiao Yu Ying gazed at the seemingly endless red expanse, speaking softly: "In ancient times, a great power fell, their resentment lingering, turning the land into a wasteland."
"…"
"This place’s resentment hasn’t dissipated; you need to be careful."
Xiao Yu Ying indeed became much more cautious; they no longer flew in the sky but landed on the ground.
The chariot moved forward, occasionally encountering pools of black water blocking their path.
Even the fierce Iron-Eating Beast would whimper and refuse to go forward, forcing them to take detours.
The light surrounding the chariot flickered from time to time.
Zheng Fa knew that unseen entities were attempting to attack them, and the chariot was automatically protecting them.
He looked up at the sky.
Sure enough, clouds of red mist swirled in the air, seemingly hiding some danger.
This place was filled with oddities.
Without Xiao Yu Ying’s magical chariot, the two of them—at least Zheng Fa—would never have been able to pass through this wasteland easily.
"Someone!"
Ahead, two figures suddenly emerged from the red mist.
Zheng Fa’s heart grew more vigilant.
Looking closer, he realized the two were Yan Wushuang and the Cursed Sun Sword Immortal.
The two stood there as if they were deliberately waiting for them—no, waiting for Xiao Yu Ying.
In his current guise, he was unrecognizable to them.
"Real Person Han."
Upon seeing the two, even Xiao Yu Ying halted the chariot and bowed respectfully to the Cursed Sun Sword Immortal.
Clearly, she was aware of the Immortal’s formidable reputation.
The Cursed Sun Sword Immortal smiled amiably, seeming quite at ease, and directly spoke, "We’d like to hitch a ride; could you accommodate us?"
Xiao Yu Ying hesitated slightly but eventually nodded.
Zheng Fa kept a cold expression, nodding to the two.
He was currently hiding his identity; saying too much could lead to trouble.
It was better to maintain a high and aloof fairy-like image.
Sure enough, Yan Wushuang glanced at her a couple of times, noticing her indifferent demeanor. Perhaps not wanting to overstep, he merely returned a polite bow.
Meanwhile, the Cursed Sun Sword Immortal looked at him with a warm smile...
"Real Person Han, what brings you here?"
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