Just Knowing Each Other Is Enough

The night was quiet.

Outside the temple, there was only the chirping of insects and the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves.

Not a single sound of interrogation entered the temple, as if no interrogation had taken place last night.

Wang Chuan and Li Zhuhua had also completed the map and its annotations early. After explaining the key points to Chen Baiqing, the two of them found places to sit and wait quietly.

Chen Baiqing carefully examined the map, then picked up a brush and made a few marks. Afterwards, she stood before the map, her eyes gazing at it as if lost in thought.

Time passed until the morning sun rose, shining through the temple doors.

Lu Lingyi pushed open the temple doors and walked in alone. He cupped his hands in greeting and said,

"The interrogation of the tiger demon is complete. The tiger demon's name is Shan Meng."

"His Foundation Establishment cultivation base is not considered low in this region, but it is far from enough within Yunmeng Marsh. He can only mingle around the outskirts of Yunmeng Marsh and is only acquainted with demons of similar cultivation."

"As for the method of retaining the power of faith, according to the tiger demon, this method is known to almost every demon in Yunmeng Marsh. Legend has it that initially, a human or a demon intentionally carved this method in several locations within the marsh."

"Over time, it has been passed down by word of mouth among the demons and is no secret."

"According to the tiger demon, the mortal villages inside Yunmeng Marsh are much more densely populated than those outside. However, the power of faith inside has already been completely divided up by the great demons. A minor Foundation Establishment demon like him can only collect the power of faith on the outside."

"Rumor has it that the great demons seem to be able to make the power of faith within Yunmeng Marsh extremely pure."

"Because of this, the great demons are genuinely willing to protect the mortals, and he dares not cause trouble inside Yunmeng Marsh."

"The identity of the leading great demon within Yunmeng Marsh is unknown; only his title is known: True Monarch Changshan."

"True Monarch Changshan rules over the most villages, and his cultivation is rumored to be on the verge of advancing to the Body Integration realm."

"The higher-level demonic beasts of various factions all reside in their own cave dwellings, guarding against each other as enemies over the distribution of the villages."

"As for further information, this tiger demon only has a superficial understanding. He was half-guessing and half-fabricating, so it cannot be trusted."

"He knows absolutely nothing about human evil cultivators entering Yunmeng Marsh."

Chen Baiqing stored the map in her spatial ring, raised her eyes slightly to look at Lu Lingyi, and said,

"We will use him for now. Process him roughly, but don't let ordinary demons see any flaws."

"As for what exactly to do, we will decide after we go in and assess the situation."

"Junior Brother." Chen Baiqing paused.

Hearing this, Cui Hao hurriedly looked up.

"What are your orders, Senior Sister?"

Chen Baiqing said in a calm tone,

"After entering, it will be inevitable to interact with others. You are the most skilled at this, so I will leave it to you."

Since she had promised their master to bring Cui Hao out for experiential learning, it naturally didn't mean just letting him tag along behind her, sightseeing along the way, and then going home to rest once the mission was completed.

Experiential learning should look like experiential learning; there should be things he needed to do on his own.

However, it was better to start with what Cui Hao was familiar with. As his senior sister, she still needed to provide the necessary care.

Cui Hao readily agreed,

"No problem, Senior Sister."

Chen Baiqing nodded slightly,

"Is everyone ready?"

Everyone replied in unison, "Yes."

Chen Baiqing stood up and walked out of the temple, her voice steady as she said,

"Grab that tiger demon. We are setting off for Yunmeng Marsh."

Yunmeng Marsh.

Green mountains and watery marshes were hidden gracefully within the clouds and mist.

From the outside, it seemed as though a continuous thick fog completely obscured this mountain forest.

But once truly inside, one could see things clearly. It was just that things a bit further away appeared somewhat misty and white. Judging solely by the scenery, it could be considered absolutely exquisite.

Beyond the misty mountains, the green hills remained.

Only this time, neither humans nor demons were in the mood to appreciate the scenery here.

The tiger demon walked in front of the five people. His legs had been broken into several sections, but they had been reattached through some unknown method. With every step he took, he felt a piercing pain.

That would have been fine, but the five people behind him also demanded that he walk naturally.

If any flaws were spotted, they would skin him and use his tiger pelt as a mattress.

Becoming a mattress was a small matter, but falling into Lu Lingyi's hands for another round of interrogation... that would be a huge disaster.

When walking, the tiger demon unconsciously kept as far away from Lu Lingyi as possible.

He now understood the meaning of a fate worse than death more thoroughly than ever before.

Chen Baiqing swept her gaze around, clearly sensing that the spiritual energy concentration here was much stronger than outside Yunmeng Marsh.

Logically speaking, with such spiritual energy in the surroundings, this place could be considered a blessed spiritual mountain.

They shouldn't be cultivating the so-called power of faith, completely cutting off their path to the peak.

The tiger demon's voice trembled slightly as he pointed toward a cliff not far away and said,

"A little further ahead is my cave dwelling."

Hearing this, Lu Lingyi smiled and asked,

"What? Do you want to go home and sleep?"

"No..."

The tiger demon hurriedly and frantically replied. His knees subconsciously gave way, intending to kneel and beg for mercy first. Unfortunately, his knees gave way too fast, and even with his Foundation Establishment cultivation, he couldn't control it.

Failing to kneel, he staggered and fell straight to the ground, landing flat on his face in a prostrate position.

His tiger face smashed solidly against the ground, yet he still subconsciously spoke first to continue his answer,

"The matters of you immortals are not yet finished, so how would this lowly one dare to sleep? It's just that the cave dwellings of various factions in Yunmeng Marsh are different. Wandering around randomly can easily lead to conflicts with other demons, so I have always only taken one path back to my cave dwelling."

"Walking this way, we will naturally come across my cave dwelling. Although this is a trivial matter, this lowly one does not dare to hide it from you immortals and must speak of it."

The tiger demon's mind raced, directly explaining the cause and effect cleanly.

Naturally, being able to reply so smoothly was all thanks to Lu Lingyi's methods from last night.

When the Profound Clarity Heavenly Sect interrogated someone, they naturally had to ask clearly about the causes and consequences.

Lu Lingyi did not continue to reply, but simply stood behind Chen Baiqing.

Chen Baiqing said in a calm tone,

"Get up and keep walking. First, take us to see the villages you mentioned here."

Hearing this, the shivering tiger demon crawled up, nodded repeatedly, and then turned around to continue leading the way.

Lu Lingyi followed closely, his eyes still fixed on the direction the tiger demon had pointed.

Cui Hao's gaze was the same.

"Stupid cat! Did you forget all about your own cave dwelling after just one trip outside?"

A slightly shrill voice rang out as a weasel spirit walked over from the cave dwelling the tiger demon had mentioned, moving with a swaggering gait.

Hearing this, the tiger demon acted as if he hadn't heard anything and continued to step forward.

"Stop."

Chen Baiqing's voice was very soft, but it was enough to make the tiger demon dare not take another step.

The weasel spirit's footsteps were hurried at first, but as it got closer, it began to slow down.

The stupid cat's posture was stiff, and the five demons following behind him were unfamiliar faces.

The weasel spirit looked toward the tiger demon with a gaze full of suspicion and uncertainty. Its body tensed up, and it didn't dare to approach any further.

Seeing this, Cui Hao decisively stepped forward. Looking at the weasel spirit, he said,

"Do you know this tiger demon?"

The weasel spirit slowly took two steps back and said in a respectful tone,

"I suppose I do. May I ask what the matter is?"

"This tiger demon forgot the rules and dared to attempt to build its temple in my King's territory." Cui Hao's tone was mocking as he stared at the weasel spirit.

"Since you know him, it's good to let you understand what should and shouldn't be done. Go back and inform those lowly trashes not to covet things they shouldn't."

"Lest you lose your lives and make us brothers busy ourselves again."

Listening to these words, a look of appreciation appeared in Lu Lingyi's eyes.