Chapter 23: He Zhiqing

"Brother He, long time no see." Liang Yi approached to greet after seeing He Zhiqing finish speaking with the Shopkeeper.

No matter if He Zhiqing recognized him or not, he started by calling out as if they were old friends.

"Brother He." Su Youyi poked her head out from behind Liang Yi.. She had seen He Zhiqing once at Youdao Mountain, but they had never spoken. It was during the time when Fang Zhi came looking for his master and brought He Zhiqing along. Indeed, He Zhiqing was Fang Zhi's only disciple.

"Er, Brother Liang? Sister Su?" He Zhiqing was startled, not expecting to encounter acquaintances here.

He nodded towards Su Youyi who was behind Liang Yi, then turned his gaze back to Liang Yi.

"Brother He, are you here alone?" Liang Yi asked with a warm smile on his face. Up close, He Zhiqing truly embodied the phrase "gentle as jade."

"Could it be that his charm is also at full value?" Liang Yi wondered to himself.

"Mmm, I came here unexpectedly because of some matters. And what brings the two of you here?" He Zhiqing spoke gently, clearly happy to see familiar faces.

"Ah, took on a commission but unexpectedly ran into some trouble. I was going to give up, but upon seeing Brother He, I knew hope had arrived."

"Shall we talk about it upstairs?" Liang Yi suggested with a smile, gesturing with his right hand towards the second floor.

"That sounds good." He Zhiqing was also a person who enjoyed peace.

Once seated, He Zhiqing looked at the table across from him towards Su Youyi sitting close to Liang Yi, and smiled:

"Sister Su, how has Elder Chen been recently?"

"The master is still the same, but he has recently gained some insights and is in closed-door cultivation." Su Youyi replied somewhat shyly. She wasn't good at talking with strangers, and usually let her brother take the lead in conversations, minimizing her own presence.

"Haha, when Elder Chen finishes his cultivation, it seems my master and Elder Zhou from Complete Heaven Sect will have a tough time again." He Zhiqing laughed heartily. He was well aware of his master's and the elders' relationships. Whenever Elder Chen made a breakthrough in cultivation, he would go and 'exchange pointers' with his master and Elder Zhou.

'Sparring' was merely a one-sided beating, with his master and Elder Zhou teaming up only to be defeated by Elder Chen and make a dusty escape.

Liang Yi and Su Youyi found it amusing; their master truly had a mischievous side.

"Brother He, let's speak plainly, I need your help with something this time. Whatever you ask of me after this, I shall comply without question." Liang Yi said earnestly, his smile fading.

"Brother Liang, there's no need for such formality, I will certainly help where I can, but may I know what it's about first?" He Zhiqing waved his hand, indicating that Liang Yi need not be so formal.

"It concerns the manager of Little Bamboo House in Qingfeng City."

Liang Yi briefly explained the mission he took on in Qingfeng City, only to discover that the person in charge was an imposter. He modestly credited his sister for uncovering 'Zhang Feng's' impersonation—how could his own first-realm strength see through the disguise of a fourth-realm cultivator?

"I see, that indeed is no small matter," He Zhiqing commented, taking a sip of tea and then looking thoughtful.

"Brother He?" Su Youyi inquired upon noticing He Zhiqing lost in thought.

"Oh, apologies, I was reminded of some other matters," He Zhiqing said apologetically looking towards Su Youyi and Liang Yi.

"But since you've shared that, I suppose I should mention my own reasons for being here."

Liang Yi and Su Youyi were both eager and curious about He Zhiqing's intentions.

He Zhiqing first took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and, after making sure no one was paying attention, began to speak:

"I came here chasing after a mysterious group, whose motives are unclear. However, they frequently deploy to collect certain things, and they do not use normal methods. I just happened to encounter them when they were targeting a small family."

"This group is formidable, particularly skilled in using an Escape Skill to transform into black fog, rendering all my attacks ineffective."

He Zhiqing, feeling somewhat stifled, drank another sip of tea. After all, it was rather embarrassing for the chief of Complete Heaven Sect to be outmaneuvered by the enemy in such a manner.

Liang Yi and Su Youyi exchanged glances. Black Escape Skill? Attacks ineffective? This sounded very familiar.

After a moment of contemplation, Liang Yi decided to share the information with He Zhiqing, considering he still had two tasks related to the Devouring Spirit Sect, and having more people investigating could potentially increase the exploration.

"Even Liang Junior Brother was attacked by them? That's audaciously reckless!" After hearing about Liang Yi's experience, He Zhiqing grew furious. He knew Liang Yi was just an ordinary person; those people actually dragged Liang Yi to the outskirts of Ten Thousand Miles Mountain, probably planning to use this as a scheme to frame the Demon Clan, which was exceedingly malicious.

If it weren't for Su Junior Sister's relentless pursuit, the death of Liang Yi would have outraged Senior Chen Hua, leading to unthinkable consequences.

Su Youyi also felt a chill thinking back, she really couldn't imagine encountering her senior brother's corpse, her whole cultivation focused on him. Without him, what motivation would she have to continue?

"And Senior Brother need not be angry, the incident has already passed. Currently, we need to focus on investigating and uncovering the goal of this mysterious group." Liang Yi consoled.

"Exactly, thank you, Liang Junior Brother, for the information. Next time I encounter that strange Escape Skill, I will not be helpless," said He Zhiqing as he respectfully clasped his hands together towards Liang Yi.

"It was just an incidental discovery," Liang Yi casually remarked that he only had a rolling pin as a weapon at the time and had to act out of necessity.

"Liang Junior Brother informing me of such crucial information means that I am duty-bound to assist this time," He Zhiqing said with a smile.

"Thank you then, He Senior Brother. Here's a toast with tea in lieu of alcohol," Liang Yi said as he poured fresh tea for Su Youyi and He Zhiqing, and raised his cup towards He Zhiqing.

"Good!" He Zhiqing also didn't hesitate, picked up the cup and toasted with Liang Yi and Su Youyi.

The three of them exchanged glances and then drank the Spiritual Tea in one gulp.

Before He Zhiqing left, Liang Yi had already found out his current whereabouts in Qingfeng City, and he could visit him if necessary.

Liang Yi and Su Youyi then headed to Wind God Commerce in the city, deciding to buy a sword first. Liang Yi's Swordsmanship had just begun, and feeling the situation was perilous, he had to buy a sword for self-defense, as he couldn't continue to pull out a rolling pin, could he?

Planning to make the enemy die laughing?

"Has Senior Brother already mastered the Flawless Sword Technique?" Walking on the street, Su Youyi curiously asked, remembering it had only been a few days since their master had bestowed the Sword technique upon her senior brother.

"Of course, your Senior Brother here is a genius," Liang Yi shamelessly admitted, patting his chest.

Isn't the Golden Finger, just like one's appearance and luck, all part of his strength? Moreover, as the protagonist, using the Golden Finger to level up couldn't be considered cheating, right?

That's called smartly utilizing one's own advantages!