Chapter 25: You've certainly spent your fair share of time eavesdropping.

Chapter 25: You've Been Eavesdropping Quite a Bit

Five Poisons Cult.

"Hongyun, now that you and Lan Fenghuang have buried the hatchet, could you restore her cultivation?" Chen Ping'an asked, looking at Hongyun.

"Brother Chong, I used a type of poison to erode her cultivation. Even if the poison is neutralized, it will take Lan Fenghuang a very long time to return to the Spirit Void Realm..." Hongyun said, sounding somewhat guilty.

"Let's do this."

A look of determination appeared in Lan Fenghuang's eyes. "I will stay at the Five Poisons Cult to recover my cultivation. Hongyun, you should accompany Brother Chong to Moonfall Mountain and see if you can find the Ghost Butterfly."

Hearing Lan Fenghuang say this, Hongyun was quite surprised. However, she nodded in agreement. Even though they had made amends, Lan Fenghuang had always been extremely competitive. Now that her cultivation had dropped to the Golden Body Realm, it was likely a difficult hurdle for her to overcome, which was why she wanted to cultivate desperately to catch up as soon as possible. Only then would she feel she had the qualifications to compete with Hongyun for Brother Chong.

Hongyun did not mind Lan Fenghuang's little schemes. A man as outstanding as Brother Chong was bound to be liked by many women. Back when she was just a naive girl, she had fallen for him the moment she saw his breathtaking, ethereal beauty. It was just that she had been quite insecure at the time and dared not reveal her heart.

Seeing that the two women had reached an agreement, Chen Ping'an nodded. He didn't mind either way. He felt no particular indebtedness toward either Hongyun or Lan Fenghuang and had kept his own mindset very relaxed.

A small message-carrying sword flew in. A woman in black robes caught it, glanced at it, and her expression shifted slightly. She cupped her hands and said, "Sect Master, Li Lian requests an audience."

Hongyun straightened her expression and nodded. "Let him in."

Seeing Hongyun's majestic bearing and the demeanor of a true sect master, Chen Ping'an nodded to himself. This woman had started as a mere maid, successfully staged a coup, and seized total control of the Five Poisons Cult. Her meticulous mind and firm resolve were far beyond those of ordinary people.

Li Lian entered, bringing Xia Xiaoliang with him. Xia Xiaoliang was munching on a steamed bun. When she saw Chen Ping'an in the room, her little face broke into a smile as round as the bun she was eating. "Cousin! I thought you’d gone missing; you were gone for so long!"

Brother Chong’s cousin?

Hongyun blinked, then immediately became very enthusiastic. She rushed over, took Xia Xiaoliang’s arm, and said warmly, "Hello, cousin. I am Hongyun, the Sect Master of the Five Poisons Cult."

"Sect... Sect Master... greetings!"

Xia Xiaoliang was startled when she heard Hongyun’s title. The Sect Master of the Five Poisons Cult was such a legendary figure, yet she was calling her "cousin." This was truly too much for a small disciple of the Green Cloud Sect in the Spirit Treasure Realm to handle.

Seeing Hongyun’s enthusiasm, Chen Ping'an coughed twice, feeling quite awkward. Under everyone's watchful eyes, it wasn't easy for him to explain anything.

Cousin?

Li Lian, standing to the side, was also stunned. As the Grand Steward of the Five Poisons Cult, he had always taken orders from Hongyun, the Deputy Sect Master. Even the task of going out to find handsome men for Lan Fenghuang was done under Hongyun's orders, because he knew that the Sect Master, Lan Fenghuang, had lost her mind. She was obsessed with having handsome men play the flute for her, and she had threatened that if Hongyun didn't find her a man who understood the true essence of flute playing, she would kill herself. Hongyun, trapped by a life-guiding parasite, had no choice but to arrange for him to search everywhere.

"Li Lian, you helped me find Brother Chong; this Sect Master will reward you handsomely!" Hongyun said to Li Lian with great appreciation.

Brother Chong? Shouldn't it be Wang Ye? Li Lian looked at Chen Ping'an, his entire world in chaos.

Seeing the messy relationships at play, Chen Ping'an felt a headache coming on. Seeing that Lan Fenghuang was still clutching that jade flute, he quietly sent a voice transmission: "Hongyun, why are you making Li Lian search everywhere for men to learn flute-playing? What is this farce about?"

"Brother Chong, after Lan Fenghuang lost her sanity, her temperament changed drastically. She became particularly obsessed with the flute-playing technique you once taught her. I had no choice, so I had Li Lian search for people..." Hongyun explained, her expression strange.

Chen Ping'an widened his eyes. "How do you know about this?"

"I eavesdropped," Hongyun said, her small face turning as red as a ripe fruit. She bit her soft lip gently, staring at Chen Ping'an with shyness and longing.

Chen Ping'an shivered. This girl really had been eavesdropping quite a bit. Just how many secrets had she heard?

"Alright, let's head out." Chen Ping'an suppressed his embarrassment and waved his hand.

Hongyun took out a jade bottle and handed it to Lan Fenghuang. After giving a few instructions to the woman in black, she left the Five Poisons Cult with Chen Ping'an and Xia Xiaoliang. Hongyun personally piloted an immortal boat, carrying the two of them as they flew rapidly toward Moonfall City.

...

On the immortal boat.

"Cousin, your buns are delicious! Give me another one!"

"Sure thing, Sect Master Hongyun."

Throughout the journey, Hongyun chatted and laughed with Xia Xiaoliang, disregarding her status as a dignified sect master and happily eating Xia Xiaoliang's buns.

Chen Ping'an smiled helplessly. Hongyun was a calculating woman; she was trying to use the "cousin" connection to get closer to him.

He had no romantic interest in Hongyun; not even a ripple disturbed the surface of his heart. In this second life, his goal was to attain immortality and become a progenitor; cultivation and becoming stronger were his most urgent priorities. As for worldly romance, those things were no longer important.

...

Several days later, the immortal boat flew into the vast desert.

Looking at the familiar golden sand, Chen Ping'an was reminded of the past and asked, "How has the Death Poison Abyss been all these years?"

Hongyun’s expression became solemn. "Brother Chong, the Death Poison Abyss remains terrifying. No one dares to venture deep into it."

"Hmm." Chen Ping'an nodded.

If he were to activate an "Extraordinary Realm" experience card, he wondered if he could explore the depths of the Death Poison Abyss. But such a thought was merely a passing whim. He wasn't bored enough to waste an Extraordinary Realm experience card just to explore the abyss.

Two days later, the immortal boat entered Moonfall City.

Hongyun settled the two of them into a high-end inn, then went to the Five Poisons Cult’s branch in Moonfall City to plan how the cult members should search for the Ghost Butterfly.

Inside the room, only Chen Ping'an and Xia Xiaoliang remained.

"Old Ancestor, have you really become a deputy sect master?" Xia Xiaoliang asked, looking at Chen Ping'an with surprise.

Throughout the journey, she had tried to play the role of "cousin," but she couldn't even enjoy the buns in her hand. Having to engage in awkward small talk with a Spirit Void Realm deputy sect master had been incredibly uncomfortable. In her mind, the Old Ancestor must have become the deputy sect master of the Five Poisons Cult, which was why they were receiving such preferential treatment.

"Don't overthink it. This Hongyun is an old friend of mine from before..." Chen Ping'an shook his head and smiled.

"An old friend?" Xia Xiaoliang chewed her bun, her cheeks bulging, a thoughtful look on her round, crystalline face.

"It's been a long time since I came to Moonfall City. Let's go out for a walk." Chen Ping'an smiled slightly and walked out with his hands behind his back. Xia Xiaoliang quickly followed.

At the same time, on a bustling street in Moonfall City, Fu Hongying, wearing a veil, walked aimlessly, her eyes dazed, wandering like a lost soul.