Attacked by the Female Demon at the Beginning - Chapter 181

Chapter 181: Jiang Haotian Found

Baihua Lake.

A fine misty rain began to fall from the sky.

Droplets of rain fell from the pavilion, landing on the soil around it.

At one corner of the pavilion, a teacup was placed, seemingly enduring the endless rain.

Inside the pavilion, Hong Yuye sat by a stone table, gazing out at the fine rain in a trance.

“Sect Master.”

A white figure descended, bowing respectfully outside.

The rain fell on her without causing any change.

“Recently, the Tianyin Sect has been somewhat restless,” Hong Yuye’s gaze shifted from outside to Bai Zhi, her expression calm, revealing no emotion.

“It’s my fault for not handling things properly,” Bai Zhi knelt on one knee, her voice filled with anxiety.

Indeed, there had been too many issues in the Tianyin Sect recently.

“What’s the matter?” Hong Yuye asked smoothly.

“The Demon Cavern is shaking, and demons are swarming out. They have already entered our trap. Once their racial treasure appears, we can take action. The process may encounter many problems, but everything is under control. Is this time to completely eradicate them, or just to teach them a lesson and let them go?” Bai Zhi asked.

“That’s your business,” Hong Yuye replied indifferently.

“Anything else?”

“People from Tiansheng Sect have been very active lately, it seems they are targeting Jiang Hao, convinced that he knows the secrets of the mine.”

“They likely have moles within our sect. We are still investigating. Tianqing Mountain is also under our observation; they seem to have given up on the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower. Other forces are making moves too, but they’re minor,” Bai Zhi reported.

As for how to deal with Tiansheng Sect, she didn’t say.

That was her business.

As long as Tiansheng Sect doesn’t affect the stability of the sect, it’s fine.

But now they come, probably aware of the issue with the Demon Cavern, and taking the opportunity to act.

“What’s your impression of Tiansheng Sect?” Hong Yuye suddenly asked.

“Paranoid and crazy,” Bai Zhi answered.

“What if they are deliberately showing this to you? Or using their nature to cover their real purpose?” Hong Yuye looked at Bai Zhi and asked.

For a moment, Bai Zhi broke out in a cold sweat.

What if Tiansheng Sect had other motives?

But what could their motives be?

“Let’s talk about something else,” Hong Yuye said, not wanting to dwell on the topic.

“The Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower is growing steadily. Jiang Hao was away for three months last year, and his whereabouts could not be confirmed.”

“Although it’s difficult to determine if he’s a traitor, he must be hiding secrets. On this trip, he brought back a young man named Chu Chuan. To clarify Jiang Hao’s whereabouts during those three months, I looked into this Chu Chuan. I found out that he’s a down-and-out young master, related to a designated disciple of Mingyue Sect. But after falling from grace, their whereabouts became erratic and untraceable.”

“Then I had people investigate where Mingyue Sect disciples had appeared. They were traced to several towns, and although Chu Chuan was not identified due to possible changes in appearance from living conditions, I unexpectedly found someone named Jiang Haotian.”

“Jiang Haotian?” Hong Yuye said calmly.

“Is he related to Jiang Hao?”

“Possibly,” Bai Zhi continued.

“People from Mingyue Sect and he were in the same place, and Mingyue Sect took their disciple away. It makes sense for Chu Chuan to be taken from there. Especially since that Jiang Haotian also took someone away, although that person wasn’t called Chu Chuan, their ages were similar, so it’s possible a false name was used.”

“Continue,” Hong Yuye said.

“At first, I thought Jiang Haotian might be Jiang Hao, but after several confirmations, it didn’t seem right,” Bai Zhi pondered for a moment.

“The appearance is too different, the disparity in strength is great, and the behavior is arrogant, almost perverse. So I suspect he’s a relative related to Jiang Hao. I checked his relatives. Then I found out that his relatives moved away many years ago, and after following faint clues to nearby towns, I still found nothing.”

“To clarify, I expanded the search area. Still, no luck. That means he might not have any living relatives. In the end, I could only guess that there was someone behind him, and this person appeared out of nowhere. Every time Jiang Hao goes out, this person would provide him with opportunities. I don’t know what the ultimate goal is.”

Actually, she had suspected it was one person, but there was no issue with Jiang Hao’s age.

In his early twenties, no matter how strong, there’s a limit.

Even the most exceptional genius would at most be at the early stage of Golden Core.

She had never even heard of such a person.

“Anything else?” Hong Yuye asked, emotionless.

“There’s a little girl, a disciple previously taken in by Jiang Hao, named Xiao Li,” Bai Zhi recalled carefully.

“This little girl is well cared for by Jiang Hao, which is normal. But this little girl is not normal; before she even started Qi Refining, no one could handle her. After a few days of cultivation, she reached the first level of Qi Refining, and after half a year, the second level. Just this alone is enough to prove she’s a genius, but that’s secondary. After observing a few times, her appetite is surprisingly large, I suspect she either has a special constitution or a special origin.”

Hong Yuye asked casually, “Did you check?”

“I did, and Ku Wuchang probably did too. This little girl was picked up by an old couple from the riverside. That’s all we have for now. If nothing unexpected happens, Ku Wuchang will take her as a direct disciple after her Foundation Establishment.”

“If her background is normal, there’s no need to worry,” Hong Yuye said.

“Yes,” Bai Zhi responded, then continued,

“Based on this investigation, we can somewhat confirm one thing: the person behind Jiang Hao might be near or within the sect. Based on the difficulty of tracking his outings, we can guess that this person helps him with some issues while remaining undetected. But these are all speculations.”

“Then keep investigating,” Hong Yuye said.

“Yes,” Bai Zhi nodded.

“What about the traitors other than Jiang Hao?” Hong Yuye looked at Bai Zhi.

Bai Zhi became anxious and quickly said,

“There’s been some progress, perhaps among the elders.”

“Find out,” Hong Yuye said coldly.

“Then check who Tianqing Mountain has been in contact with recently.”

“Yes,” Bai Zhi acknowledged the order.

“This,” Hong Yuye tossed over a transparent box containing a ring.

“Contributions should not be erased.”

Bai Zhi took the box, thinking to herself that this was already the third one.

She could never quite figure out the sect leader.

She didn’t understand what the sect leader’s attitude towards Jiang Hao really was.

On one hand, she was tasked with investigating him, and on the other, she was rewarding him.

Was it because she was worried there might be an issue yet wanted him to continue being a useful pawn?

However, there didn’t seem to be any major issues with Jiang Hao, so she didn’t need to pay too much attention.

After several checks, there was no direct evidence to suggest he was a traitor.

And they still needed to use him to root out other traitors.

So, putting pressure on him was not an option.

First, they had to resolve other issues, then spend a few years recuperating and enhancing the sect’s overall strength.

As more people learned about the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower, it would become a great test for her.

……

Defensive Line

Jiang Hao opened his eyes.

The gathering wasn’t long, but there were some surprises.

Indeed, there was much to gain from being inside.

However, stabilizing his position was also a hassle.

Unable to leave, if the other party requested cooperation, it was fine to refuse once or twice.

But over time, he would lose his value.

Another concern was the cultivation method of the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower, which reminded him of Xuanyuan Tai.

Xuanyuan Tai knew he was cultivating the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower and recognized his value, wanting his help with the cultivation.

Initially, Jiang Hao didn’t understand, but after discussing the cultivation methods inside, he had an epiphany.

Perhaps few people knew how to grow the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower, and he had managed to do so by chance.

Aside from delivering rewards, Elder Bai Zhi had not made any other demands.

It seemed that all they needed from him was to cultivate the flowers properly.

“So, to the Tianyin Sect, I’m actually quite valuable?”

Knowing this, Jiang Hao felt somewhat relieved.

But he couldn’t be sure.

He had just refrained from asking directly, worried about arousing their suspicions.

“Next time I see Hong Yuye, I can try asking her.”

Then, he suddenly remembered that Hong Yuye had also asked about the cultivation, which meant she might not know either.

Jiang Hao was stunned; Xuanyuan Tai’s desire to take him away was not incomprehensible.

“However, was it by chance that I was tasked with cultivating the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower, or did Elder Bai Zhi do it intentionally?”

Jiang Hao thought about it; at that time, he was entangled with a traitor, and then the sect began to hunt for traitors.

The seeds of the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower were sent over, perhaps just as a fishing expedition.

And then the unexpected happened; he managed to grow them.

The more Jiang Hao thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

So now, was Elder Bai Zhi sitting high and fishing, waiting to catch more fish?

Wouldn’t she reel in until all the fish were hooked?

Jiang Hao could only hope it would be later rather than sooner; the stronger he became, the more composed he could be when facing the situation.

After pondering these things, he began to study the nameless secret manual.

……

Dawn.

He left his residence to find Ye Ji.

“Junior Brother, have you decided?” Ye Ji asked gently.

“I’ve made up my mind; I want to go in with Senior Sister,” Jiang Hao replied.

“Good,” Ye Ji approached Jiang Hao and smiled.

“I’m looking forward to seeing Junior Brother’s performance; I believe it will be quite unexpected.”