After resting at the ferry for a night, early the next morning, boats of various sizes gradually raised their sails, and the sailors began calling out to attract passengers in varying tones.
Mu Congyun chose a sturdy large boat, paid the fare, and drove the carriage aboard.
Though called a sea, the Wuxiang Sea was actually just an enormous lake in the center of the Western Region.
Bordering it were Dongzhou, Shuzhou, Lingzhou, Yunzhongzhou, and Langzhou, making maritime traffic in the Western Region quite bustling.
With full sails, the large boat moved swiftly, reaching the opposite shore in just over half a day.
Entering Shuzhou, they were now closer to the Poison Sect.
Estimating they would arrive at the Poison Sect by nightfall, Mu Congyun sent a message to Xiao Guanyin in advance.
But by night, as they neared the Poison Sect, there was still no reply from Xiao Guanyin.
“I haven’t received any reply either,” Jinni fiddled with his message jade token, speculating, “Could the message token be broken?”
Mu Congyun shook his head without speaking, though inwardly he was somewhat worried but didn’t voice it.
Instead, he looked up at the bright moon and said, “Visiting late at night is impolite. Let’s stay outside for the night and visit early tomorrow morning. We can also wait for our junior sister’s reply.”
Having experience camping outdoors, Jinni and Jiang Ling squeezed onto the small couch in the carriage to sleep, while Mu Congyun meditated on the carriage shaft, keeping watch.
Shen Qi refused to sleep inside the carriage, clinging to Mu Congyun’s side, his head nodding against his shoulder until he soon fell asleep.
Only when Mu Congyun sensed his steady, even breathing did he open his eyes and glance at his message jade token again—still no response.
Xiao Guanyin’s return to the Poison Sect had already exceeded three months.
She had sent messages before, but after Mu Congyun returned from Nanhuai Town, there had been no further communication from her.
This was somewhat unusual.
While it was possible the message simply hadn’t reached her, it was better to be safe than sorry.
Frowning in thought, Mu Congyun took out a puppet bird from his storage pouch.
This puppet bird, produced in Yandu of Lingzhou, was a communication puppet developed by the Gongshu family, named “Hongyan” (Wild Goose).
Resembling a large goose, it excelled at concealment and was only the size of a coin.
Powered by a small spirit stone, it could fly for a long time.
This puppet bird was specially crafted by the Gongshu family for Profound Ridge, intended for covert communication in emergencies.
As long as the recipient carried Profound Ridge’s communication token and the spirit stone’s spiritual power wasn’t exhausted, Hongyan could deliver the message no matter where they were.
Before this trip to the Poison Sect, Mu Congyun had brought one along just in case.
After recording a message and marking the puppet bird with a special symbol, he released it.
*
After a night of camping outdoors, the four of them set off early the next morning to visit the Poison Sect.
The Poison Sect of the Eastern Border had little interaction with other sects, partly because their techniques were considered too unorthodox for others to accept, and partly due to their location.
The Poison Sect was situated in Wanjue Valley, Kaihe Town, Shuzhou, surrounded by steep cliffs, with only a single iron-chain bridge for access.
The puppet carriage swayed as it crossed the iron-chain bridge, finally entering the territory of the Poison Sect of the Eastern Border.
It was midsummer, and the valley was lush with towering trees that formed a dense canopy, blocking the scorching sun but also trapping the stifling heat.
The sweltering air condensed into white mist, drifting through the forests and mountains.
“It’s so hot.”
Inside the carriage, Jinni couldn’t bear the stuffiness any longer and lifted the curtain, fanning himself vigorously.
Only when the carriage sped up and passed through the dense woods did the humid air finally disperse somewhat. Though it was still hot, the breeze brought a hint of coolness.
Mu Congyun gazed into the distance and could already see clusters of buildings not far away.
As the carriage drew closer, the gates of the Poison Sect came into view, adorned with festive red silk flowers and lanterns.
Dark-skinned disciples in short-sleeved shirts and shorts, adorned with silver ornaments, bustled about, creating a lively atmosphere.
“Is the Poison Sect celebrating something?”
Jinni squeezed onto the carriage shaft, craning his neck to look.
“I’ll go find out.”
With that, he jumped off the carriage and cheerfully went to inquire among the Poison Sect disciples.
A short while later, he returned with another, older and more composed disciple.
“Senior Brother, this is Zhang Qing from the Poison Sect. Sect Leader Baili is getting married soon, and everyone is busy preparing. Brother Zhang will take us inside first.”
Zhang Qing, dressed in a short jacket and long pants, appeared to be in his thirties or forties, with a kind and steady demeanor.
After Jinni’s introduction, he clasped his hands in greeting.
“We’ve been preoccupied with preparations for the sect leader’s wedding, and our disciples are overwhelmed. We apologize for not welcoming you properly. Please forgive us.”
Mu Congyun returned the gesture and followed him inside after alighting from the carriage.
As Zhang Qing had said, Baili Zhen was about to marry, and the Poison Sect had been thoroughly cleaned and decorated, with even the trees in the courtyards draped in red silk and festive flowers.
Upon entering the inner sect, Mu Congyun and his companions were led to the main guest hall.
However, it was not Baili Zhen who received them but a strikingly alluring woman.
She wore a deep red gauze dress embroidered with butterflies and narcissus, her black hair loosely tied into a bun and adorned with a delicate golden butterfly hairpin.
As she moved, the hairpin swayed gently, her graceful figure and refined demeanor overshadowing her otherwise enchanting appearance.
“This is the sect leader’s soon-to-be wife,” Zhang Qing introduced.
“My humble surname is Liu,” the woman said.
“The sect leader left early this morning on business and has yet to return. May I ask which esteemed sect you young friends hail from and what brings you here? If it’s not urgent, you’re welcome to rest here. The sect leader should return by evening.”
Madam Liu was unexpectedly gentle and hospitable, serving tea and inviting them to sit.
As the senior brother, Mu Congyun naturally took the lead in responding. He clasped his hands and bowed slightly, his eyes lowered.
“We apologize for the intrusion, Madam Liu. We are disciples of Profound Ridge. Our visit has two purposes: first, to escort our junior sister Xiao Guanyin back to the sect as per our master’s orders, and second, to seek Sect Leader Baili’s assistance. We didn’t realize we’d arrive during such a joyous occasion. We hope you’ll forgive the disturbance.”
“So you’re from Profound Ridge,” Madam Liu said warmly.
“The sect leader has mentioned you. Unfortunately, you’ve come at an inconvenient time. Xiao Guanyin was sent by her foster father two days ago to deliver wedding invitations to our sect’s revered elders. They live in seclusion, far from here, so she likely won’t return for another two days. Why not stay with us and join in the celebrations?”
Mu Congyun naturally couldn’t refuse.
“Then we’ll trouble you,” he said politely.
Madam Liu called for a maid and instructed, “Escort our guests to the Red Rose Courtyard for their accommodations.”
*
The Crimson Rose Courtyard was small but elegantly arranged, with rose vines climbing the walls and heavy clusters of red roses blooming on the branches.
The refined atmosphere seemed almost incongruous with the common perception of the Poison Sect.
After the maidservants left, Jinni curiously wandered around, muttering, “I heard Baili Zhen is obsessed with venom and poison arts. Why would he suddenly decide to marry? There wasn’t even a whisper of this outside.”
Jiang Ling remarked casually, “An old house catching fire isn’t exactly news.”
Mu Congyun didn’t join the discussion, still preoccupied with Xiao Guanyin’s situation: “Little Shimei still hasn’t replied to our messages.”
“Didn’t Madam Liu say she went to deliver wedding invitations to those reclusive elders? Maybe she’s too busy to see the message transmissions,” Jinni said.
Mu Congyun shook his head and was about to respond when another group of maidservants entered with trays of food.
The leader curtsied and said, “Madam thought the young immortals must be weary from travel, so she specially ordered the kitchen to prepare a feast. If anything doesn’t suit your tastes, please let me know, and I’ll have the kitchen make adjustments.”
The maidservants arranged the steaming dishes on the round table until it was completely covered. After serving, they bowed and said, “Enjoy your meal,” before politely withdrawing.
Jinni sniffed the aroma from the laden table and marveled, “The Poison Sect is far more refined than I imagined.” He had assumed it would be as lifeless as its name suggested, teeming with venomous creatures everywhere.
But Mu Congyun frowned in contemplation. Seeing Jinni pick up his chopsticks to eat, he quickly pressed his hand down and said gravely, “Don’t touch the food.”
The three at the table looked at him in confusion—Jiang Ling and Jinni bewildered, while Shen Qi merely raised an eyebrow.
At least this one’s smarter than the other two.
In his previous life, he had also visited the Poison Sect, and it was nothing like this.
Where there’s abnormality, there must be deceit.
“I was there when Shizun fought Baili Zhen years ago,” Mu Congyun recalled slowly. “Baili Zhen is obsessed with venom and poison, treating human lives as worthless. If he could refine Little Shimei into a ‘human gu,’ he’s no kind or benevolent man.”
When they first brought Xiao Guanyin back to Profound Ridge, her body was so toxic that no one could approach her. She couldn’t move or speak, didn’t feel hunger or sleepiness—like a true ‘gu’ puppet. Without her master’s control, she had no vitality left.
Though thirteen years old, she was as small and frail as a child of seven or eight. Shizun said Baili Zhen had raised her as a ‘gu’ from infancy, stripping away her human instincts. It took half a year of treatment from a medical cultivator of the Miaofa Sect before she could finally communicate.
“We know too little about the Poison Sect. Though Madam Liu seems kind, caution is never misplaced.”
Mu Congyun removed portions of the food and buried them in a potted plant to feign consumption, then took out three bottles of Bigu pills from his storage pouch, distributing one to each. “Until Little Shimei returns, it’s best not to consume any food or water here.”
Shen Qi immediately extrapolated, looking at Mu Congyun with eager eyes as if seeking praise:
“Then shouldn’t we share rooms in pairs, so we can watch out for each other if anything happens?”
Mu Congyun had already intended to arrange it this way, but Shen Qi’s eagerness to bring it up made him suspect the other had some ulterior motive.
Recalling how he had been pinned down by Shen Qi’s arms and legs the night before their departure, he suppressed the urge to sigh and nodded slightly.
“Jinni will share a room with Jiang Ling. Shen Qi will stay with me.”