Gu An encountered two unpleasant incidents in a row and felt that this Yun Kingdom Small Gathering was simply cursed. Since there was nothing good left for him here, he decided to return to White Mirror Lake.

As he stepped out of the inn, the sunlight was just right, the sky as clean as porcelain.

Gu An took a deep breath, and only then did his mood improve significantly.

"Junior Brother Gu, where are you off to?" A gentle voice sounded. Turning his head, he saw it was Senior Brother Huang Xuan.

Gu An had a good impression of this senior brother, who had purchased the Purple Cloud Goose egg at a premium price. He smiled and replied, "All the spirit stones in my Storage Bag have been swindled away by the Yun Kingdom Small Gathering. If I don't leave soon, I'm afraid I may not even keep the clothes on my back!"

Huang Xuan chuckled, finding this junior brother quite an interesting character. When he himself was this age, he wouldn't have been so brazen about having an empty pocket.

"If Junior Brother has nothing to do, how about we go for a drink together?" Huang Xuan laughed heartily, inviting Gu An for a drink.

Gu An also wanted to get to know Senior Brother Huang, so he gladly agreed.

Before long, the two arrived at Fuyun Tower. They ordered a few dishes and opened a jar of aged Apricot Blossom Wine. Though it contained no spiritual Qi, it was still flavorful and enjoyable.

Wooden chopsticks rose and fell several times, porcelain bowls emptied and refilled, as the two chatted with great enthusiasm.

After three bowls of wine, Gu An began to pour out his grievances to Huang Xuan: "Senior Brother Huang doesn't know, but that Han Geng is utterly despicable. He insisted on dragging me into trouble."

Once the floodgates opened, Gu An lost all restraint and thoroughly recounted the day's events to Huang Xuan.

"What did you say? Han Geng got his hands on the Tu Clan Wine Recipe?" Huang Xuan was somewhat stunned, his mouth agape as he said, "That Han Geng is truly cunning. When the Tu clan was slaughtered, he remained as still as a mountain, but when it comes to profiting from the dead, he advances like a wildfire!"

Gu An was a bit confused: "Senior Brother Huang, what do you mean by that?"

Huang Xuan drained the wine from his bowl in one gulp and sneered, "Junior Brother Gu doesn't know this, but our Qingyuan Sect collects the Spirit Tax, so we must protect their lives. When their Sound Transmission Talisman reached his residence, he pretended not to see it. Truly disgraceful!"

Hearing this, Gu An's impression of Han Geng worsened even further. He resolved never to deal with this man again.

Both of them found Han Geng repulsive, so they stopped mentioning him.

After another round of wine, Huang Xuan leaned in with a mysterious expression and spoke in a low voice.

"Junior Brother Gu, do you know? Our Qingyuan Sect might be heading into chaos."

Gu An was startled, his chopsticks pausing mid-air. Heading into chaos? What had happened?

Curious, Gu An also lowered his head and asked quietly, "Senior Brother Huang, please elaborate. I haven't heard anything about this!"

Huang Xuan's face twisted as if he were constipated, and he said bitterly, "It's all because of that Robber Cultivator business. Uncle-Master Wang went to the Beastmaster Sect and went on a killing spree. Of course, they're going to retaliate!"

"Ah?" Gu An exclaimed in surprise. He knew about the Robber Cultivator incident, and he also knew that Uncle-Master Wang had killed Beastmaster Sect disciples, but he hadn't thought deeply about it before.

That was right. Both were Golden Core Sects. If a Beastmaster Sect disciple was killed right at their doorstep, how could they not retaliate?

"What 'ah'? Think about it. Where do our Qingyuan Sect and the Beastmaster Sect border each other?" Huang Xuan urgently tapped the table.

"The Yun Kingdom and the You Kingdom... You mean-" Gu An realized, his voice rising in shock.

"Exactly! From now on, the Yun Kingdom will be the most chaotic! And we, the garrison stationed here, will be in the greatest danger!" Huang Xuan's face was full of anguish, deeply worried about his own situation.

Damn it. I've become the front line now.

Gu An felt like crying but had no tears. He only wanted to quietly raise spirit beasts and cultivate! How did he end up in a situation like this? He quickly asked, "Senior Brother Huang, do you have any solution? To be honest with you, this junior brother is naturally timid and can't handle such a scene!"

Huang Xuan let out a long sigh and said, "I'm scared too, Senior Brother! The only way now is to pull some strings and see if we can abandon the mission and be transferred back to the sect. Junior Brother, do you have any connections?"

Gu An pondered for a moment and didn't hide anything. "I got this mission entirely thanks to Steward Zhang of the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall. I don't know if he has the ability to recall me. I'll write a letter as soon as I get back!"

Huang Xuan's eyes lit up. A steward in charge of assignments-that was someone who could really get things done. He quickly said, "Junior Brother Gu, could you ask on my behalf as well? If it works out, this senior brother will naturally show his gratitude."

"Of course. I won't make things difficult for you, Junior Brother. Steward Zhang will also receive a token of appreciation, no less than this amount."

Seeming to sense Gu An's hesitation, Huang Xuan held up two fingers. Seeing this, Gu An gasped sharply. Two hundred spirit stones-that was truly a considerable sum.

Before the autumn wind stirs, the cicada senses it first. Gu An highly approved of Huang Xuan's foresight. He felt it was worth learning from, and being with him was comfortable-a man worth befriending.

Besides, Steward Zhang might not necessarily refuse this matter. After all, two hundred spirit stones was no small amount. So Gu An agreed to help ask.

Suddenly, a young cultivator entered Fuyun Tower. Spotting Huang Xuan and Gu An, his eyes lit up, and he walked toward them.

He was dressed in white robes, his sleeves fluttering, his face as fair as jade. His appearance was extraordinary, though his cultivation was not high-only around the third layer of Qi Condensation.

As he walked, he smiled at the two and said, "I've been looking all over for you two fellow Daoists!"

Gu An didn't recognize this person. He looked up at Huang Xuan and found Huang Xuan also staring back at him with a questioning gaze.

Who is this?

Only then did the young man notice the awkward atmosphere. Realization dawned, and he gave an embarrassed smile. "I am Yun Lin of the Yun family. Entrusted by my cousin, I've come to invite the two of you to Tianyun Garden for a chat."

"Is it Senior Sister Yun Xiuyan?" Gu An was puzzled. Why did they only come looking for him when he was about to leave?

And what business did she have with the two of them?

"Exactly." Yun Lin replied cheerfully, clearly proud of his cousin.

Huang Xuan set down his wine bowl and also asked, "Are all the garrison members going, or just the two of us?"

Yun Lin hesitated for a moment, then decided it wasn't a big deal. He spoke slowly, "My cousin only told me to invite the two fellow Daoists."

The two exchanged a glance and decided to go see what Yun Xiuyan was up to.

Before long, the two arrived together at the small courtyard in Tianyun Garden.

It had only been a few days since their last visit, but it felt much more desolate. Not a single fruit remained on the Jade Spirit Fruit tree, and the Ice Crystal Fish that used to flick their tails in the Spirit Spring Eye were nowhere to be seen.

Only the Purple Cloud Goose by the pond, unable to bear the loneliness, let out loud honks.

Seeing Gu An, it waddled over eagerly and pulled out another Purple Cloud Goose egg.

Gu An helplessly pressed his forehead and spread his hands. "There's nothing left. Really nothing left. I've traded it all to Senior Sister Yun."

Hearing this, the Purple Cloud Goose shot him a disdainful look, tucked the egg away, and ran off without looking back. Watching this, Yun Xiuyan, who was brewing tea nearby, nearly ground her silver teeth in frustration.

After dealing with the Purple Cloud Goose, Gu An and Huang Xuan walked toward the pavilion.

Yun Xiuyan handed each of them a bowl of tea. In the porcelain bowls, bright yellow tender buds gently swayed, and the emerald-green tea soup rippled with tiny waves.

The two held their bowls, looking at Yun Xiuyan with questioning eyes. Neither spoke first.

Yun Xiuyan glanced at them and said flatly, "What, you won't even drink your senior sister's tea? This Emerald Cloud Tea is a First-Grade Middle-Tier spirit tea."

The two smiled awkwardly and quickly took a sip.

As the tea entered their mouths, a wave of bitterness struck fiercely. Before they could react, a sweet taste rose from the tip of their tongues, and their minds felt light and clear. Upon careful sensation, they found it had a slight effect of enhancing spiritual sense.

"Clear and pure, truly excellent tea!" Huang Xuan smacked his lips, looking as if he were still savoring the aftertaste.

"Indeed, indeed!" Gu An chimed in with admiration, shaking his head in feigned intoxication.

Yun Xiuyan shot them a cold glare and parted her delicate lips.

"Feeding pearls to swine."

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