CHAPTER 292: LOOKS TO ME LIKE YOU’RE FAWNING ON ME, INNATE SPIRIT EYES!

“But recently, we’ve uncovered reports that the Thousand Illusions Sect has once again begun operating within the borders of the Kingdom of Qian. Their movements are secretive, and their numbers are few. The sect’s transformation arts can alter body and appearance, and ordinary people cannot see through it. Cultivated to higher levels, even other cultivators may not be able to detect any flaws.”

“In other words,” Li Yanchu said gravely, “among that group of guests outside, there could very well be members of the Thousand Illusions Sect in disguise, and possibly more than one?”

“Exactly. That is why I asked you to come in. The reason I invited so many guests today was partly for this, but alas, I could find no flaws at all.” Duanmu Xuan inclined her head slightly.

Trying to freeload off me, huh... Li Yanchu couldn’t help frowning. “Aren’t you afraid that I might be a Thousand Illusions Sect disciple in disguise?”

“I was born with Spirit Eyes. It’s basically what common folk call ‘yin-yang eyes,’ only far superior. I can see through falsehoods.”

After a pause, she continued, “Fellow Daoist Li, your aura of the Daoist path is upright and unclouded, your blood and qi are incomparably abundant. To have cultivated both Dao and martial arts to such a level, how could you possibly be someone else in disguise?”

“Eh?” Li Yanchu was a little taken aback.

This was the first person to see through his Sun Veil. Duanmu Xuan had some real skill!

“We’ve only just met, since you can perceive my aura, doesn’t that mean you could also see through others?” Li Yanchu pressed further.

“Spirit Eyes also have their limits. And the Thousand Illusions Sect’s cultivation arts happen to counter my sight. As for you, fellow Daoist, your aura is simply too dense and vigorous, that’s how I caught the trace. If you were to deliberately suppress it, even my Spirit Eyes would detect nothing.”

Duanmu Xuan seemed to place great trust in Li Yanchu. Not only did she lay everything bare, she even spoke candidly about her innate Spirit Eyes and their limitations.

“You seem to trust me a little too much,” Li Yanchu said.

“Fellow Daoist Li, you are not only the junior personally favored by Celestial Master Zhang, even young paragons like Chen Yang and Xiao Ce, whose ambitions reach the heavens, hold you in the highest esteem. How could I not believe in you?

“Moreover, you slew evil spirits and heretical cultivators in Wei City, eradicated the resentful aura of blood money, and earned a resounding reputation. You are an authentic righteous cultivator through and through. At a time like this, how could I keep anything from you?”

Li Yanchu did not feel the least bit proud at her praise. “That’s all there is to it?”

“In truth, there’s another reason. If what I mentioned earlier came only from official records or from the words of others, then meeting you in person today has only confirmed my belief, you are beyond question.”

Feels like you’re fawning on me... Li Yanchu frowned. “We’ve only just met. Isn’t your praise a bit exaggerated?”

Duanmu Xuan shook her head. “Even if it’s only a single meeting, your gaze is upright yet hides sharpness. That’s proof of a lofty spirit, decisive in killing and cutting through doubt. Such a man would never stoop so low as to collude with the Demonic Dao. And this kind of bearing is something no Thousand Illusions Sect fiend could ever imitate.”

Li Yanchu fell silent at this moment. To be flattered like this by such a living, breathing beauty, he found it rather pleasing.

But that was all.

“You don’t have some other favor you want me to help with, do you?” Li Yanchu asked suspiciously.

This woman’s shower of praise didn’t quite match the domineering reputation of the Duanmu family. It was obvious she had ulterior motives.

Just then, Duanmu Xuan’s smile bloomed like a flower.

“Fellow Daoist, you’re perceptive. Indeed, I do have one small matter, but everything I said just now truly came from the heart.”

“What is it?”

“When this affair is concluded, I would like to invite you as a guest of the Duanmu family.”

“Hm?” Li Yanchu was a little surprised.

She had the same idea as Ding Rou. Originally, he thought Duanmu Xuan might be asking him to join the Court of Judicial Review as an external member, or to slay some other demon. He didn’t expect it to be this.

“No. I refuse.”

Duanmu Xuan froze, seemingly not expecting Li Yanchu to be so blunt. Yet, this languid, enchanting woman merely smiled faintly.

“It is but a trifling matter. First, let us clear off the demons of Jinguang Temple. After that, it won’t be too late to discuss this matter again.”

Her tone was calm, carrying a quiet yet overwhelming confidence. But in Li Yanchu’s ears, an absurd thought began to form.

It seemed that Duanmu Xuan regarded this matter as even more important than the calamity currently looming over Jinguang Temple.

***

When the two of them stepped out from the meditation room, the courtyard outside was still filled with laughter and chatter. Many of the Daoist cultivators were old acquaintances, Or else their sects and clans had ties with one another.

Thus, when Duanmu Xuan hosted a banquet, these people gladly came. On one hand, it was to give her face.

On the other hand, for them, it was also a chance to socialize, to sit together and strengthen their bonds.

However, when it came to Duanmu Xuan, this peerless beauty, every man could not help but harbor some other kind of thought. And so, they paid close attention to her every move.

To be personally invited into a meditation room by Duanmu Xuan of the Duanmu family carried implications worth pondering. Many could not help but envy.

Even if not every thought was of romance or desire, humans were like this. Everyone enjoyed being singled out as special.

With so many gifted youths and hidden talents assembled at Jinguang Temple, being personally summoned by the great beauty Duanmu Xuan for a private meeting... How thrilling was that?

A romantic encounter, a beauty in an ancient temple, and a gathering of heroes. To be able to stand out at such a time, what young genius could resist being tempted by the thought?

No matter how calm and indifferent they looked on the surface, in their hearts, they all cared. While everyone drank and feasted in the courtyard, exchanging cups of wine, underneath it all there was a subtle undercurrent of rivalry.

Yet, no one could have expected that a newly arrived and utterly unfamiliar young Daoist would be the one to enjoy such special treatment.

Why him!? Several hot-tempered cultivators in the courtyard could no longer suppress their emotions, and it showed on their faces.

Among them, the one who felt the most bitter and sour was undoubtedly He Yu. At the banquet, he had a few cultivator friends with whom he shared decent ties. He had been planning to stir things up subtly, to seize the chance during the gathering to make trouble.

But unexpectedly, that bastard was directly invited into the meditation room by Duanmu Xuan for a private talk the very moment he walked through the door.

Tch! That woman, Duanmu Xuan!

Li Yanchu paid no heed to what others were thinking. Instead, he cast his Qi Sight, sweeping his eyes across everyone in the courtyard. The Qi Sight was an ancient Daoist art that could observe a person’s fortune and destiny.

A gleam of clear light flashed in his eyes, and the first person he scrutinized was He Yu. This young Daoist gave him a strangely familiar feeling for some reason, which was very odd to him.

His body carried pure qi, and his fortune was fairly decent. He was a relatively outstanding disciple of the Daoist sects, but there’s nothing remarkable about him, nor was there any demonic or baleful aura clinging to him.

“No issues with him?” Li Yanchu felt puzzled. Where exactly was that sense of familiarity coming from?

Instead of examining the others, he fixed his gaze solely on He Yu.

However, this time he did not choose to rely on the Clearheart Jade Pendant, that primordial spirit artifact. Instead, he stirred the qi vortex within his dantian.

This was the prototype of the Longhu Golden Alchemy Method. Once the dragon and tiger converged to form the core, then no law under heaven could harm him.