At the border between Dazhen and Dali, a merchant convoy that looked somewhat capable was crossing the border zone, transporting a batch of materials unique to Dali, heading towards Dazhen.

Inside an ebony carriage, the space seemed several times larger than it appeared from outside. A young girl in her teenage years was frowning as she looked at a thick ledger, its tedious contents making her drowsy.

Just then, someone knocked on the carriage door.

"Come in, Uncle Fu."

An elderly man with gray hair and a kind face entered the carriage, bowing respectfully.

"Miss, there's been a development."

"Oh, what is it?" The girl immediately perked up, putting down the ledger.

"That Lady Cece has indeed entered the Wilderness with her silly guard."

"I knew she wasn't an ordinary person, and her guard wasn't ordinary either." The girl was quite pleased.

The elder nodded in agreement.

"Her guard, though only at the Returning to the Orifices stage, possessed Qi-Blood stronger than a typical Blood Sea Realm body cultivator. It's so pure and robust that it couldn't be explained by mere talent, suggesting he could only have been trained by a major force or in a special place.

Moreover, Lady Cece herself was no ordinary person. During my brief investigation, I almost drew her attention, yet she seemed to be within the Third-tier as well.

I also observed her speaking with a slight accent from the western part of Kuihou Country. Her mannerisms and poise retained traces of an Oiran from Kuihou Country, albeit more relaxed. It seems that in her youth, she suffered misfortunes and was cultivated as an Oiran."

"How could those Oirans compare to Sister Cece?" The girl frowned slightly and immediately retorted.

"Miss is right, there's indeed no comparison..." The elder smiled wryly and shook his head. The confidence and poise that occasionally leaked out of that woman's demeanor were indeed something rare.

"Alright, Uncle Fu, instruct them to deliver any letters from Sister Cece to me immediately."

Cece had left a contact address at a small shop in the Three-way Land. Uncle Fu knew well that leaving a contact address in such a place was practically akin to not leaving one at all.

But since Cece claimed her hometown was in a small city in the west of Kuihou Country, that was definitely true, so asking if the address was false would be impolite.

Thus, to maintain the newfound friendship and ensure they wouldn't lose contact, the girl generously gave three communication flying swords researched by the Lihuo Institute, capable of sending messages within a range of five thousand miles, which were quite valuable.

For a wealthy girl who had never traveled before, meeting an intimate friend on her first outing and being a bit generous was entirely reasonable.

A day later, a sword light appeared on the horizon, transforming into a streak of light heading towards the convoy.

Uncle Fu stretched out his hand to beckon it, and the sword light dispersed in his palm, turning into a letter.

The girl took the letter eagerly and opened it.

"To Tianxin Sister: After days of separation, I have safely returned home. Knowing your concerns, my young master, learning of an immediate friendship, was delighted and sent this letter to alleviate your worries. I heard you've ventured out for the first time, and I offer this advice: Disasters have been frequent recently, with evil forces on the rise. Please take care of yourself. Once spring comes, I shall visit to speak of my longing. In good health, Cece, on a windless, snowless night."

Gu Tianxin looked at the letter's delicate handwriting, laced with a hint of resilience, and couldn't help smiling.

"Uncle Fu, I told you, once Sister Cece returned safely home, she would surely send me a letter of reassurance. She's quite concerned about my safety."

Uncle Fu smiled, glancing at the lingering spirit light from the disintegrated sword, hinting at its significance.

"This communication flying sword was used once and then disintegrated, covering a full five thousand miles. Had we delayed another day and continued north, we might not have received it."

"Uncle Fu, let's continue. I want to reply to Sister Cece."

Uncle Fu smiled and went out, directing the merchant convoy to move forward. Soon, they began to see refugees.

As usual, the cold wind of the Wilderness wouldn't politely stop at its borders. Dazhen, being close to the Wilderness, was inevitably affected, and to a greater extent than the western part of Dali.

But the people of Dazhen were long accustomed to cold winters; today was merely a bit colder but still within many people's tolerance.

The refugees along the path belonged to families too impoverished to survive.

Such people appeared every year.

As they traveled, they heard a slogan ahead.

"After the Red Sun's tribulation, the White Sun shall rise."

Up ahead, a group of refugees gathered, led by a man wearing thick but tattered clothing. Holding a crudely printed blue book, he exclaimed fervently.

"Heaven has revealed its prophecy; the White Sun Holy Mother is about to descend. When divine punishment comes, only the believers of the Holy Sect will escape suffering."

Seeing that the refugees remained indifferent, he pocketed the blue book, carefully unbuttoning his thick clothing to reveal the white cotton inside.

"See, I was once like you, nearly freezing to death by the roadside. Then I encountered a Holy Envoy who bestowed this cotton jacket upon me, saving me from freezing. Look, the finest cotton, so warm. I even had breakfast today—two bowls of porridge so thick you could stand a pair of chopsticks upright!"

This statement finally sparked some reaction in the eyes of the refugees.

A couple with children couldn't help asking, "Is that true? Upright chopsticks and two bowls?"

"Yes, yes, join our Holy Sect and we'll all be one family. Why let our family go hungry?" The man nodded eagerly, almost swearing to it.

During this time, the merchant convoy passed by.

Uncle Fu approached the proselytizing man with a kindly face, asking, "Young man, my young lady heard of your aid to the poor and is greatly impressed. She'd like to know if we can exchange for your scripture."

Uncle Fu produced a small gold bean sized like a yellow bean, offering it to him.

Seeing the gold, the man promptly nodded and handed the blue book to Uncle Fu.

Uncle Fu thanked him and returned to the carriage.

The blue book was placed on the table, titled the White Sun Secret Record. He casually scanned a few pages; the paper was coarse and inferior, yet the print was clear, and the book was relatively new.

Among its contents were simple remedies used by traveling doctors and trivial, practical knowledge for common folk.

But it was mostly filled with subversive private notions, heretical scriptures, and enigmatic spells whose purposes were unclear, along with numerous slogans encouraging devotion to the White Sun Holy Mother for protection.

It claimed that after death, one's Divine Soul would be drawn to the Holy Mountain, where one could enjoy blessings. Even if one starved to death, one wouldn't become a starving ghost but would be transformed into a hungry ghost with the Holy Mother's blessing, receiving sustenance in the Holy Mountain.

With just a few glances, Uncle Fu knitted his brows tightly.

"With the prince's benevolent rule, these White Sun Evil Dao aren't able to deceive the people of Dali. Yet they've come to Dazhen to spread their absurdities, and they're so quick to revise and print new scriptures, even incorporating the newly appeared hungry ghosts..."

"So bold and reckless?" The girl was astonished and quickly flipped to that page, finding it true. Even the appearance of hungry ghosts was credited to the White Sun Holy Mother's intervention, providing a glimmer of hope for starving ghosts.

"Incredibly bold," Uncle Fu agreed, truly impressed by their audacity.

Looking at the girl still writing her reply, he suggested, "If you're unsure what to write, just include this book. Since the flying sword can only be used once, make sure to send enough."

"Indeed, I'll tell her what I've encountered here and the local customs." The girl nodded, agreeing with Uncle Fu's suggestion.

Uncle Fu smiled, nodding as he took the book and letter and exited the carriage.

After some thought, he produced four flying swords, activating one into a sphere of spirit light. He placed the other three flying swords, the scriptures, and the letter within the spirit light, which then ascended skyward as a streak of light.

As the convoy traveled into towns, they continued to hear believers chanting slogans through the streets even at night.

The next day, Uncle Fu sought out Gu Tianxin.

"My lady, we should head back. The White Sun Evil Cult has become rampant in Dazhen, to the point where it's gaining traction. The White Sun Evil Dao from Dali have probably already arrived in Dazhen, making it unsafe here."

Seeing Gu Tianxin's lack of reaction, Uncle Fu promptly added, "Moreover, if we continue north, we'll exceed five thousand miles, and your response might not reach her."

"Good, after we complete our trade, we should return."

...

In Jinlan Mountain, Cece caught the falling light in her hand, which transformed into several items before dispersing into nothingness.

In the distance, Yang lifted his eyelids slightly, muttering softly, "What a spendthrift."

Cece looked at the three flying swords and laughed as well, acknowledging it wasn't an ordinary display of extravagance.

She browsed the letter, finding mostly pleasantries and inquiries, with an added note about seeing someone recruiting believers in Dazhen, exchanging for their scripture, which left them shocked, deeming it the most noteworthy event since their separation.

She skimmed the scripture, and as she read, her brow furrowed, and a murderous glint appeared in her eyes.

"Young master, take a look at this."

Yu Ziqing received the scripture, flipping through from the first page with a calm demeanor, making casual comments.

"Beneath the brainwashing rhetoric, this scripture has some useful recipes, which might benefit impoverished families..."

After a few casual observations, Yu Ziqing laughed sarcastically as he read further.

"Oh wow, the White Sun Evil Dao's ability to ride the wave of current events remains unparalleled, both in quality and in cunning.

Last time, they exploited the Wilderness disaster. Now, they even dare use hungry ghosts to their advantage, claiming it all as a credit to their Holy Mother."

He thought of his risky retrieval of Jinlan Mountain, matching the scripture's depiction of the Holy Mountain.

The trees he painstakingly planted for hungry ghosts to inhabit, and his almsgiving, correlated with the scripture's portrayal of the Holy Mother's blessings.

With this realization, Yu Ziqing set the scripture aside, looking at Cece with an enlightened expression.

"Do you think there's a chance that Holy Mother is actually me?"