Chapter 467 - 477: News of Zhang Xiaoyun

"Wan’Er, help me change," Guu Hongxiu said. Though she had taken a White Dew Pill, her beautiful face was still frighteningly pale, and her voice was so faint it inspired pity.

"Yes." Wan’Er nodded respectfully. She then turned her head to Wen Qingye, her brows knitting as she snapped, "Shouldn’t you turn around? You don’t want to see something you shouldn’t."

Wen Qingye nodded indifferently and turned to face forward.

He could only hear rustling sounds from behind. Wen Qingye, however, kept his gaze fixed, his mind turned inward, focusing all his effort on converting the Primordial Qi within his body.

Guu Hongxiu slipped out of her red garments, revealing a snow-white figure. Her fair skin, tinged with pink, was utterly alluring. Her face flushed a crimson red, like the dawn sky, and her movements were frantic. When had she ever changed in front of a man? This had never happened before.

’What if he suddenly turns around?’ The thought made Guu Hongxiu even more nervous, her movements growing more frantic. But in her panic, she made a mistake.

"Red Venerable, your clothes are on backward," Wan’Er, watching from the side, covered her mouth to stifle a laugh and couldn’t help but whisper a reminder.

Guu Hongxiu looked down and gasped in surprise. Ah, it really was on backward. Her face turned an even deeper shade of crimson, so red it looked like blood might drip from it. She shot a fierce glare at Wan’Er. ’That blasted girl, why did she have to say it so loudly?’ Then, she hurriedly took the clothes off and put them on again.

Up ahead, Wen Qingye couldn’t help but shake his head and smile. His eyes, fixed on the path before them, held an ethereal emptiness. At the same time, beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.

But after a good while, Guu Hongxiu noticed that the man in front remained perfectly still, his gaze locked forward. She finally breathed a small sigh of relief. Looking at the barrier he had created, which completely blocked the raging winds, she suddenly, for reasons unknown, felt a sense of security.

’This man...’ Guu Hongxiu shook her head and hurriedly put her tattered clothes into her Sumeru Mustard Seed.

Gradually, the sounds from behind her died down. Guu Hongxiu, now in a pink dress, had sat down cross-legged and begun to meditate to heal her injuries.

「Time flowed on, and in the blink of an eye, half a double-hour had passed.」

Wen Qingye was now drenched in sweat, and his face had grown pale. If not for his impressive physical fortitude, he would have long since succumbed to exhaustion.

’I’ll just hold on a little longer and see,’ he thought, his brow tightly furrowed.

Behind them, the Flying Corpse was still in relentless pursuit. Its aura grew increasingly violent, and the surrounding clouds seemed to be turning black, as if assimilated by it.

Perhaps because some time had passed, the fear in Wan’Er’s heart gradually faded, replaced by a sense of boredom. She found herself constantly staring at Wen Qingye.

Finally, she seemed unable to hold back any longer and said to Wen Qingye, "Hey, why do you wear a mask? Are you really that ugly?"

"No," Wen Qingye said, shaking his head.

Wan’Er asked curiously, "Then why?"

"Wan’Er, stop asking. Since he wants to wear a mask, he must have his reasons."

At that moment, Guu Hongxiu slowly opened her eyes. The blush had not yet completely faded from her face, and her gaze immediately fixed on Wen Qingye’s sweat-drenched back.

Wan’Er stuck out her tongue and fell silent. Seeing how soaked Wen Qingye was, she quickly offered, "Let me help you."

Wen Qingye shook his head. "Your Primordial Qi is different from mine. If they aren’t properly harmonized, it will have the opposite effect."

"Oh, okay," Wan’Er said, wrinkling her nose.

Seeing that Guu Hongxiu was awake, Wen Qingye spoke up. "Since you’re from the Taiyi Pavilion, it shouldn’t be a problem for me to ask you a few things."

"You want to ask me? As long as it’s not one of the Taiyi Pavilion’s secrets, I can tell you. Consider it repayment for saving my life just now," Guu Hongxiu said, her eyes burning as she looked at Wen Qingye.

’Was Guu Hongxiu’s life only worth a few questions?’ But Wen Qingye had no desire to get bogged down in that at the moment.

Wen Qingye nodded. "I want to ask you about someone."

"Who?"

"Zhang Xiaoyun!"

Hearing his words, Guu Hongxiu froze for a moment. Her brow furrowed as she looked at Wen Qingye and asked, "Why are you asking about her?"

"Is there a problem?" Wen Qingye asked with a slight smile.

"Fine. I suppose I can tell you," Guu Hongxiu said with a nod. Her beautiful eyes took on a distant look. "She joined our Taiyi Pavilion a little over a year ago. At first, no one paid her much mind. She just followed Elder Shen to cultivate. But as time went on, she began to reveal her extraordinary talent. Then, about half a year ago, we discovered that she actually carries the bloodline of the Immortal Beast Extreme Flame Bird."

’The Extreme Flame Bird?’ Wen Qingye scoffed inwardly. ’Only people like them would mistake a Divine Bird from the Desolate Antiquity for an ordinary Immortal Beast.’

"And then?" Wen Qingye pressed.

Guu Hongxiu continued slowly, "And then... her cultivation grew higher and higher, and her fame within the Taiyi Pavilion became more prominent. But she never socialized with anyone or left the mountain. I know very little about her myself. Her cultivation is a complete mystery; no one knows its true extent. It’s just that recently, something major happened involving her."

"What major event?" Wen Qingye’s brow suddenly furrowed, his tone shifting sharply.

Guu Hongxiu didn’t answer his question. Hearing the intensity in Wen Qingye’s voice, she asked one of her own, "What is your relationship with her?"

"Just tell me," Wen Qingye’s voice grew low and deep, his eyes carrying a commanding presence.

"Er... fine." Guu Hongxiu was slightly taken aback, then nodded subconsciously. "She recently killed the Pavilion Master’s disciple, Tang Ming. Our Taiyi Pavilion has strict rules, and conflict between fellow disciples is the greatest taboo of all. My father originally wanted to punish her according to the rules, but for some reason, Elder Gu and Elder Wei both pleaded on her behalf. Even the Pavilion Master was unwilling to pursue the matter further and just let it drop."

Wen Qingye nodded, a sliver of relief settling in his heart. He slowly asked, "Tang Ming? What was his cultivation?"

Guu Hongxiu replied, "Second Heaven of the Destruction Realm. She killed him in a single move. And that was several months ago."

Wen Qingye fell into thought. ’If Guu Hongxiu doesn’t know my identity, she could be a good choice for secretly relaying information about the Taiyi Pavilion to me.’

Just as he was about to speak, the light from the White Jade Sword beneath his feet began to dissipate rapidly, and its speed plummeted at the same instant. As if suddenly jolted back to reality, he felt an agonizing pain erupt from his meridians, threatening to tear his entire body apart. Yet, Wen Qingye merely knitted his brows slightly.