Zhong Qingsong spotted Lin Xueqing at a glance and immediately stood up with a smile, warmly saying, "Qing'er, quick, come over here. I want to introduce you to a renowned cultivator. This is Zheng Yuan, the Sect Master of the Yin-Yang School of Mount Wuhua, and this is his beloved disciple, Lü Fengping."

Lin Xueqing and her master rarely ventured out into the world; save for the last time she participated in a tea ceremony competition, she hardly interacted with outsiders, which had cultivated a reserved, defiant, proud, and willful nature in her. Yet, even with her limited exposure to the mundane world, she was aware of some things concerning Zheng Yuan. She glanced at him and suddenly asked, "Are you Zheng Yuan?"

Seeing Lin Xueqing's impolite tone, Zhong Qingsong's expression shifted, and he reprimanded, "Insolent girl! How dare you speak like that?"

Zheng Yuan, however, chuckled, stroking his patchy white beard, and replied, "No matter, she's young!" As he spoke, he took out a jade thumb ring from his robes and offered it with a smile: "I came in a hurry and didn't bring any decent gifts. Your master and I are old friends, so this small token is just a token of respect, haha, for the little doll to play with!"

Lin Xueqing immediately noticed the jade ring was emerald green throughout, without the slightest blemish—clearly a rare treasure of fine jade. She felt a private curiosity but did not take the ring, retorting instead, "Daoist Zheng, I hear your reputation isn't exactly stellar?"

This single sentence caused both Zheng Yuan's and Zhong Qingsong's expressions to change instantly. Zhong Qingsong roared, "Qing'er, you are outrageous! Daoist Zheng is my savior; how can you speak to him this way!"

Zheng Yuan's face flickered first, a venomous glint flashing swiftly through his eyes, but it vanished just as quickly. Soon, his face was covered in benevolent and magnanimous smiles again. He stroked his beard and chuckled, "It's alright. It's normal for some people in this world to misunderstand me."

Ding Nan, standing nearby, seized the moment and simpered sweetly, "Most rumors are not to be trusted. Envy of the capable is human nature, after all."

Zhong Qingsong quickly chimed in, "Exactly, exactly! Daoist Zheng possesses astonishing abilities, so naturally, he attracts the jealousy of others."

Seeing this, Lin Xueqing couldn't help but recall some rumors surrounding Li Yundong. She privately agreed with their assessment and said no more, but she still didn't accept the jade ring, posing another question: "Forget it, let's not talk about that. Rumors in the Jianghu are indeed unreliable. However, I cannot accept this jade ring. As the saying goes, one should not accept rewards without merit. If I take your item, and then you make a request that my master and I can fulfill, that's fine. But if we cannot fulfill it, then things get complicated. Isn't it true that one's mouth is softened by receiving a gift, and one's hands are tied?"

Lin Xueqing's tongue was sharp, and her words left Zheng Yuan's face alternating between green and red. Zhong Qingsong was furious and abruptly pulled her close, hissing low, "Qing'er, what is wrong with you today? Did you take the wrong medicine? Is this how I taught you to treat people?"

Zheng Yuan suppressed his anger, chuckled, and waved his hand dismissively, "Brother Zhong, no need to lecture her. Your disciple is a person of true character, speaking frankly and directly. Good, I like such people! However, my disciple is not entirely wrong either; I did not come here without a purpose—I have a favor to ask!"

Zhong Qingsong shot Lin Xueqing a look, clearly intending to settle accounts later. He turned back, smiling at Zheng Yuan, and said, "Daoist Zheng, please ask whatever you need; I will certainly do whatever is within my power!"

Zheng Yuan smiled, "I have always heard that Brother is a master alchemist, his skill second only to Wan Zhenyuan, the Sect Master of the Gezao Sect. Furthermore, you control the supply channels for a vast amount of medicinal herbs. My disciple has just completed her Foundation Establishment recently and has exhausted all the spiritual pills she previously stored. That is why I sought out Brother Zhong today, to restock supplies."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Qingsong immediately looked troubled. He hesitated for a moment, and Zheng Yuan quickly interjected, "What is it, Brother Zhong? Is there some difficulty? If so, just say so; your brother definitely won't make things hard for you."

Zhong Qingsong quickly recovered his smile, "To be frank, Daoist Zheng! All the medicinal herbs I currently possess have been sold off recently; I don't have a single piece of inventory left, so I haven't managed to refine any pills yet. However, I do have one bottle of Shenxiao Powder; I wonder if Daoist Zheng would disdain it?"

Zheng Yuan looked utterly astonished: "All sold off? Brother Zhong, you can't be joking! As far as I know, you control all medicinal herb trading around Mount Huang. You don't have any inventory left? Which pharmaceutical factory has such an appetite that it devoured all your stock in one go?"

Zhong Qingsong shook his head, "Daoist Zheng, there truly isn't any left. As for who bought it, I cannot say! But please believe me, if I had any, I would certainly offer it with both hands!"

Zheng Yuan was greatly disappointed and utterly perplexed.

Zhong Qingsong felt deeply guilty. He tentatively suggested, "Daoist Zheng, perhaps you could take my Shenxiao Powder for immediate use? Once things settle down on my end, I will certainly visit Mount Wuhua with the refined pills?"

Zheng Yuan thought to himself: Hmph, what use is a body-strengthening pill like Shenxiao Powder! This Zhong Qingsong must be hiding something from me!

Seeing that Zhong Qingsong was adamant, Zheng Yuan decided to play the magnanimous host to the end. He waved his hand, smiled broadly, and said, "Never mind, you keep it. I'll come again another day."

Zhong Qingsong looked deeply apologetic. "I'm truly sorry to have made Daoist Zheng make this trip for nothing."

Zheng Yuan chuckled, about to speak, when a clear, melodious female voice called from outside Songgu Nunnery: "May I ask, Abbot Zhong, is Sect Master Wan present?"

The four people inside the room froze for a moment. They looked outside and saw a beautiful woman in a white dress standing there, gracefully tall, ethereal as an immortal—it was Ziyuan!

Why is she here? The thought crossed the minds of all four simultaneously.

Lin Xueqing had a history of friction with Ziyuan. The moment she spotted Ziyuan, she frowned, walked over, and loudly demanded, "What are you doing here?"

Facing Lin Xueqing's impolite interrogation, Ziyuan's gaze quickly swept the surroundings, as if searching for the figures of Su Chan and the others. She spoke with reserved politeness, "Daoist Lin, I wish to ask you something."

Lin Xueqing frowned. "What is it?"

Ziyuan asked, "Has Li Yundong come to Mount Huang with you?"

Lin Xueqing opened her mouth and blurted out, "Yes, why?"

Zhong Qingsong frowned at the side and secretly shot Lin Xueqing a warning glare, but Lin Xueqing acted as if she hadn't noticed.

Ziyuan continued, "Then where is Li Yundong now? Is he with Sect Master Wan? Have any other people come looking for him?"

Lin Xueqing spoke with blunt honesty, "No, they..."

Zhong Qingsong immediately cut in, "They are not here. Sect Master Wan resides deep in Gezao Mountain; how could he be on Mount Huang? I think Daoist Ziyuan must be mistaken?"

Lin Xueqing paused, then quickly understood that her master did not want to reveal Wan Zhenyuan's whereabouts. Her heart tightened slightly, and she quickly changed her tune, "Yes, they are not here!"

Ziyuan noticed the master and disciple speaking evasively, their words flickering, clearly concealing something. Suspicion arose in her heart, and her gaze swept over Zheng Yuan and Ding Nan again.

She saw that although Zheng Yuan was smiling at her, his eyes were full of vigilance, and his hand unconsciously moved toward his sleeve cuff, ready to strike first if she made any aggressive move.

Ziyuan inwardly sharpened. She quickly shifted her focus and asked Ding Nan, "Ding Nan, it's been a while. I didn't realize you had reached Foundation Establishment? Congratulations, truly!"

Ding Nan looked at her strangely and replied coldly, "Thank you!"

Ziyuan then inquired, "Have you seen Li Yundong?"

Hearing the name Li Yundong, Ding Nan's heart trembled slightly. She shook her head and said, "No."

Ziyuan saw that Ding Nan did not appear to be lying, which only deepened her confusion. But she pressed on, "Then have you seen Su Chan or Zhou Qin?"

When Ding Nan heard the name Zhou Qin, she let out a string of cold sneers, grinding her teeth, "Zhou Qin? No, I haven't either. If you see her, you must tell me where she is. I'd like to have a nice chat with her!"

Ziyuan frowned slightly, muttering inwardly: Strange, where has everyone gone? Lin Xueqing explicitly said she told Li Yundong to go to Songgu Nunnery to find Wan Zhenyuan!

Seeing Ziyuan fall silent, Zhong Qingsong spoke up, "Daoist Ziyuan, if there is nothing else, please forgive me for not entertaining you further."

Ziyuan saw she was being ushered out, so she could only say regretfully, "Then Abbot Zhong, if you see Li Yundong or Su Chan, please do let me know their whereabouts."

Zhong Qingsong smiled faintly, "Very well!"

Ziyuan gave him a slight bow, cast a reluctant look around, and quickly transformed into a streak of blue light, flying away.

Zheng Yuan watched as Zhong Qingsong and Lin Xueqing both visibly relaxed after Ziyuan left. This made him highly suspicious, but being deeply cunning and calculating, he kept his expression neutral. He smiled and bid farewell to Zhong Qingsong, then led Ding Nan down the mountain.

As they descended, Ding Nan asked Zheng Yuan resentfully, "Master, did we just make the entire trip for nothing? Returning empty-handed?"

Zheng Yuan walked with his head down, deep in thought, as if pondering something. He raised a hand, signaling Ding Nan to be quiet.

Zheng Yuan stopped on the mountain path, contemplating for a moment. Suddenly, he looked up at the sky. Although it was clear, the clouds were dense, especially in the direction of Tiandu Peak. The sunset colors were dense, clouds steamed and shone brilliantly, strange vapors coiled around, resembling dragons and tigers, and at the very apex of Tiandu Peak, a seven-colored light emanated.

Something stirred in Zheng Yuan's heart. He seemed to recall something. A sharp glint suddenly burst from his eyes, and slapping his thigh, he exclaimed loudly, "I know!"

Ding Nan, startled by Zheng Yuan's sudden shout, quickly asked, "Master, what do you know?"

Zheng Yuan burst into loud laughter, pointing toward Tiandu Peak and gloating, "Oh, Brother Zhong, Brother Zhong! I showed you such sincerity, yet you tried to fool me like this! Did you think I wouldn't figure it out just because you kept it hidden?"

Ding Nan's curiosity was fully piqued, and she pressed, "Master, what is it?"

Zheng Yuan laughed heartily, pointing to the summit of Tiandu Peak, "Good disciple, look! Since ancient times, alchemists aiming to refine immortal elixirs must seek out peaks with magnificent feng shui. Moreover, wherever they perform the alchemy, anomalous phenomena will appear! Back when Zhang Daoling, the patriarch of the Zhengyi Sect, refined pills on Mount Longhu, the sky was covered in colorful clouds, taking the shape of dragons and tigers fighting! Look, doesn't the scene before us resemble the phenomenon during Celestial Master Zhang's pill refinement?"

Ding Nan glanced over and couldn't help but nod. However, she had been cultivating for some time and had already completed Foundation Establishment; she was no longer an ignorant novice. She asked curiously, "But cultivators also experience such anomalies when refining pills or achieving Foundation Establishment."

Zheng Yuan clapped his hands and said, "You are correct! But think about what Zhong Qingsong, Lin Xueqing, and Ziyuan said earlier! A person like Zhong Qingsong usually hoards vast amounts of medicinal herbs to facilitate his own pill refinement. So why were all his supplies suddenly swept clean? Hmph, someone must be refining a peerless immortal elixir, requiring an enormous expenditure of medicinal materials, which caused all his stock to be confiscated!"

Zheng Yuan's eyes glittered sharply as he spoke, "Moreover, Lin Xueqing and Zhong Qingsong were evasive earlier, clearly hiding something. They clearly encountered Li Yundong and Wan Zhenyuan, yet insisted they hadn't! This shows they are concealing the whereabouts of these two people! But why would they hide the whereabouts of these two? What matter is so secret that it cannot be told?"

Zheng Yuan wore a smile of practiced cunning and deep confidence. He pointed a finger at Tiandu Peak and declared definitively, "These two must be refining a peerless immortal elixir on Tiandu Peak! If I'm not mistaken, it must be the Earth Element Spiritual Elixir!!"

Ding Nan gasped, "The Earth Element Spiritual Elixir?"

Zheng Yuan burst into roaring laughter, "Exactly! It is very likely this immortal elixir!"

A strong greed flickered in Ding Nan's eyes. She knew that after Zhou Qin consumed the Human Element Golden Elixir, she reached a state of power that Ding Nan dared not even look upon directly. If she could consume the Earth Element Spiritual Elixir, what would that make her?

Ding Nan urged, "Master, shall we then..."

Zheng Yuan cut her off with a cold snort and a laugh, "We shall, of course, we'll go and snatch it! How could such a peerless immortal elixir be allowed to slip past our very eyes?"

Ding Nan rejoiced, but then she frowned quickly, "But with just the two of us..."

Zheng Yuan sneered gloomily, "No rush, no rush. Once I spread the news, cultivators from all over the world will surely flock here. By then... Tiandu Peak will be quite lively!"

Ding Nan's eyes lit up, "Then we can take advantage of the chaos?"

Zheng Yuan and Ding Nan exchanged a look and burst into simultaneous, loud laughter.

This is the second update catching up for yesterday; both updates for today will follow this evening, as usual...