Seeing Li Xun admit it, Thunder-Beaked Hawk nodded. He casually broke off a branch and used it to draw several intersecting lines on the ground.

When he looked up and noticed the questioning look in Li Xun’s eyes. “This is the route map, pieced together afterward from the recollections of those involved,” he said unhurriedly. “According to them, Brother Hundred Ghosts seemed to know the underground waterways quite well, so he should still remember something of them. Look, this is where the disciples lost track of you and Shui Die Lan.”

He drew a small circle on the sketch, then a little farther away, he drew a bigger one. “This is the lakebed where the incident took place. It’s only three to five li from where you disappeared, and there’s a direct waterway connecting the two…”

He drew a line between the two circles without pausing in his explanation. “Of course, besides this direct waterway, there are four others. Brother, you could have taken any of them to escape. But please note, two of those routes were already under our control at the time. The other two were searched separately by disciples who followed after, but in the end they found nothing.

“Only the passage leading to the lakebed, with all its twists and hidden turns, was overlooked. Forgive me for asking, but given your situation back then, how exactly did you manage to get away?”

Li Xun’s expression didn’t change. When it came to the underground rivers beneath the southeastern forest, few alive could match his understanding. Still, in a flash, he came up with a good explanation.

But Thunder-Beaked Hawk gave him no chance to speak. “So, if I understand you correctly, you were with Shui Die Lan the whole way?”

Li Xun’s mind turned. “That’s right,” he said casually.

“Excellent!”

Thunder-Beaked Hawk clapped his hands and laughed. “Then the matter of Monk Wuji’s death is explained. Wuji was no small figure, yet someone managed to slice through his throat with a single strike. The method of killing was so simple it left no trace at all, yet it shows a level of skill stripped down to its essence. Skilled in assassination and possessing that kind of strength. Back then in the southeastern forest sea, there could have been no one else but Shui Die Lan.”

“Monk Wuji?”

Li Xun put a look of confusion on his face, though inwardly he was getting annoyed.

This guy was clearly set on his target and wasn’t about to let go. It was the kind of stubborn tactic that left Li Xun drawing a blank on a good response. So all he could do was let out a cold chuckle.

“The more you talk, the more ridiculous it gets. I’ve heard of this Wuji fellow, but he was never part of your Five Sects Alliance, was he? You keep jumping from one thing to another, trying to pin all the blame on me. What’s the point of even arguing?

“Brother Hawk, why don’t you just say what you want. Even if I don’t give you face, I’ll still have to give Master Moshe some, won’t I?”

The words were sharp, but Thunder-Beaked Hawk was just as determined to entangle him to the end. He smiled. “Brother, you’re underestimating Master again. A blessed place like this should go to whoever fate favors. Since fate has led you to it, why would we resist Heaven’s will? To put it plainly, Master Moshi only wishes to meet you, to get a sense of your cultivation.

“If your heart is open and honest, it will all come about naturally. If not, then there’s nothing more to discuss.”

Damn it! How had he never realized before that this Thunder Bird could be such a clinging pest? Li Xun’s last shred of patience was finally worn away.

He slowly shook his head, fixing Thunder-Beaked Hawk with a cold stare. “Thunder Bird, you’re the one pushing it. Don’t think that just because you keep a smile plastered on your face, others are bound to protect your pride. I’ve humored you with this foggy chatter long enough. That’s more than enough face. Do you understand?”

Thunder-Beaked Hawk hadn’t expected Hundred Ghosts to turn hostile so suddenly. He was still reeling when he heard a cold laugh, saw Hundred Ghosts flip open his robe, and get into a ready stance.

“The last time we met, we fought until the heavens shook and the earth went dark. And now, here we are like this. Hmph. When someone fawns for no reason, it’s either treachery or theft. I’ve been in a foul mood these past days and don’t have the energy to play your games. Whatever scheme you have, lay it out clearly. If not, we can settle it by force!”

For being able to provoke someone known for being dark, calculating, and cold into losing his composure like this, Thunder-Beaked Hawk could almost feel proud.

But this was not at all the situation he had wanted.

He stepped back half a pace, frowning. “Brother, we may not be close, but I know well enough that Hundred Ghosts is famed in this world for his steadiness, never letting his emotions show. What good does it do you to act like this?”

Li Xun sneered. “Since we’re not close, Thunder Bird, you don’t need to guess at my heart. One sentence: either you speak plainly and say something real, or we start now.”

A flush rose beneath the pallor of Thunder-Beaked Hawk’s face. He was clearly angered too.

Still, it said something about him that even in this moment he could force the temper down and answer with a strained smile. “Very well. Then I’ll put it simply. The Five Sects Alliance wants to do business with you.”

He used the break in the conversation to catch his breath, and his voice had loosened up a bit.

“When we say business, naturally it means an exchange of equals. Here, I can speak on behalf of Master Moshi and guarantee that our offer will absolutely satisfy you. As for you, Brother, you’ll need to consider whether you’re willing to show some sincerity and see this deal through.”

"Li Xun couldn’t help laughing to himself. After all that talk earlier about “fate” and “Heaven’s will,” now it had turned into something that reeked of bargaining. This Thunder Bird really would use any trick to set his mind at ease…

Looking at it that way, the Succubus Sect did seem genuinely sincere.

Thunder-Beaked Hawk drew a jade talisman from his robe and offered it forward.

“It’s clear you’re not willing to go into this today. That’s fine. This is our sect’s unique ‘Flying Banishment Communication.’ If you change your mind, you can use it to contact me directly, and I’ll pass your word along to the master. Will that do?”

Li Xun pressed his lips together, showing no intention of reaching out.

Thunder-Beaked Hawk’s hand stayed frozen in the air, his face showing no reaction at all.

“Brother, even if things aren’t exactly as we thought, when has anything in this world ever stayed the same? You may not have leverage today, but who says you won’t tomorrow? You’re a man of real talent. You should know that better than anyone.”

Li Xun thought for a moment, then finally let out a hearty laugh. He took the jade talisman, swept it with his divine sense to memorize the technique inside, and casually crushed it in his hand. “In that case, I’ll keep this as a way to stay in touch with your side. There will always be chances to do business down the road.”

Thunder-Beaked Hawk nodded with a smile, then lowered his voice a little. “Brother, you’d best be careful these days…”

“Oh?”

“You probably haven’t heard yet. Just yesterday, Shui Die Lan rebelled.”

Thunder-Beaked Hawk’s eyes flicked across Li Xun’s face before he sighed. “That Fairy Shui is truly unpredictable. Yesterday she openly broke with the Vermilion Hook Sect. Even facing the Eroding God Blade, Little Vermilion Hook, and the others working together, she slipped away with ease. Now she’s officially on their wanted list.”

Li Xun’s expression shifted in a rather striking way, and Thunder-Beaked Hawk could help letting out a wry smile.

“She had broken away from the Falling Feather Sect, and now she’s fallen out with the Vermilion Hook Sect as well. She’s managed to anger both of the top assassin sects. I doubt any other sect would dare take her in now.”

Li Xun laughed. Once his initial surprise passed, he found he could accept this twist rather calmly.

After all, who was Shui Die Lan? She was one of the absolute top-tier demon cultivators in the entire Tongxuan Realm. Someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Luo Moshi and the others.

By comparison, Vermilion Hook Sect’s Thousand Schemes Lord and Falling Feather Sect’s Su Huaiyu were certainly powerful in their own right, leaders of their sects. But measured against Luo Moshi, they still fell short by a level.

Thinking of Shui Die Lan’s temperament, her rebellion was inevitable. It was only a matter of time. Still… what did her rebellion have to do with him?

Seeing that Li Xun hadn’t caught on yet, Thunder-Beaked Hawk gave him a reminder. “Brother, word of your connection with Shui Die Lan has been spreading like wildfire across the Tongxuan Realm. Rumors can be dangerous. Who knows what might happen if they reach the ears of the Vermilion Hook Sect…”

Li Xun’s eyelid gave a twitch, but he still put on an interested expression. “And what kind of rumors are people spreading?”

Thunder-Beaked Hawk just laughed. There was no way he’d take a joke like that seriously

“There’s one more thing… well, it’s really not my place to comment on your sect’s affairs. But a while back, there were rumors that your sect’s Lord Bishui might have been in contact with outsiders. They say your sect master supposedly scolded him for it. Any truth to that?”

This time Li Xun was truly taken aback.

He knew that even though Thunder-Beaked Hawk had used plenty of words like “supposedly” and “rumor,” for him to dare bring it up here meant there was likely a good deal of truth to it.

Thinking back to what Yan Cai’er had hinted at that day.… had things really gotten this chaotic within the sect?

Thunder-Beaked Hawk misread his expression, assuming Li Xun was merely surprised at the Succubus Sect’s intelligence network.

Taking the chance, he leaned harder into selling his side’s goodwill. He cleared his throat. “I can’t speak for your sect’s internal matters. But as the rumor goes, the faction Lord Bishui was involved with… was none other than the Falling Feather Sect.”