Imperial Cultivation-Chapter 1038 - 1034: Suspicion

A graceful woman wearing a lake-green silk robe and a white veil stood before them.

"Junior Sister Hu!"

Miao Qingjie was overjoyed, then his expression stiffened as he shook his head and smiled wryly, "You got here fast!"

"Isn’t it good to be fast?" the graceful woman chuckled lightly.

Leng Tieya recognized this woman as Hu Yuni at a glance.

The very Hu Yuni whom Clone Chu Liezhao had fought several times before.

She was tall and slender, enchanting and captivating, with charming yet languid eyes that sparkled with brilliance, captivating the soul.

Such a beauty could be described as a gift from heaven, yet she was also the top disciple of the Star-picking Cliff.

Miao Qingjie quickly threw aside his frustration and pain, forced a smile, and said, "Junior Sister Hu, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Sun, Sun Changyue."

"Mr. Sun, pleasure to meet you." Hu Yuni’s beautiful eyes evaluated Leng Tieya.

Leng Tieya clasped his fists, neither warmly nor coldly, "Pleasure to meet you."

Hu Yuni laughed lightly, "Brother Miao regards Mr. Sun very highly."

"Young Master Miao praises me too much. My swordsmanship and movement technique are just a bit better, nothing else worth mentioning."

"Just a bit better at swordsmanship and movement technique? Hehe, interesting, how about we have a match?"

Hu Yuni giggled, her laughter causing her body to tremble, while her beautiful eyes exuded an examining gaze.

Her laughter was captivating, but her eyes were cold and indifferent, without a trace of emotion.

Leng Tieya shook his head silently.

Such an extremely proud genius didn’t consider him worthy of attention.

She didn’t genuinely want to spar with him; it was only a playful jest.

Like teasing him.

"I was just thinking of asking for guidance," Leng Tieya said.

"Junior Sister Hu," Miao Qingjie sighed, "Did the sect send only you?"

"I came ahead," Hu Yuni said, "Brother Zhuang and the others are right behind."

"Brother Zhuang and the others?"

"Eight people," Hu Yuni said, "Earlier, a call for help had been sent out. Are those evil demons really that rampant?"

Miao Qingjie’s face turned serious immediately, and he sneered, "They intended to wipe me out."

Hu Yuni chuckled lightly, "They indeed need to be dealt with. This time, I’m responsible for two altars."

"Which two altars?"

"East Second Altar, West Third Altar," Hu Yuni said, "Brother Miao should be familiar with them, right?"

Miao Qingjie said, "If it’s just those two altars, then it’s easier. They sent over forty experts last time, likely leaving them vulnerable and easy to crush."

Hu Yuni nodded gently, "That’s very good. Once Brother Zhuang and the others arrive, we’ll annihilate them directly."

She looked at Leng Tieya, "Mr. Sun, would you like to join us?"

"That would be even better," Leng Tieya said solemnly, "I was just thinking of dealing with them!"

He turned to Miao Qingjie, "Young Master Miao, then I’ll go ahead."

Miao Qingjie clasped his fists, his gaze deeply fixed on him.

Leng Tieya gave a slight nod, a clasped fist salute, and then another one toward Hu Yuni.

His figure formed a string of shadows in the air and vanished into the distance.

"Oh, that movement technique," Hu Yuni remarked in surprise.

Miao Qingjie said, "Junior Sister Hu, you’ve underestimated Mr. Sun; his movement technique is excellent."

"It seems he’s indeed surpassed me," she responded.

"He’s indeed not inferior to you, Junior Sister."

"Have you figured out his background?" Hu Yuni gazed in the direction where Leng Tieya disappeared.

"Very clean," Miao Qingjie said, "He’s a wilderness prodigy, a dragon and snake of the grand marshes."

Hu Yuni shook her head slightly.

Miao Qingjie was puzzled.

Hu Yuni said, "This Mr. Sun gives me a different feeling."

"And how is that?"

"Just a feeling, I suppose," Hu Yuni shook her head, "It’s best to stay a bit distant from him."

Miao Qingjie blinked his eyes, "Could he be an evil demon? Impossible." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Not an evil demon," Hu Yuni frowned slightly, pondering, "A feeling I can’t quite describe, that this guy isn’t that simple."

"Hidden depth?" Miao Qingjie inquired, "A mysterious origin?"

Hu Yuni nodded gently, "Hmm, it’s possible. He gives me a sense of danger, probably harboring great secrets."

Miao Qingjie said, "Mr. Sun seems quite nice, with great fortune as well."

Hu Yuni rolled her eyes.

Miao Qingjie said, "Mr. Sun is the person of great fortune I’ve been seeking."

"Sigh—!" Hu Yuni rubbed her forehead, shaking her head repeatedly, "Brother Miao, you’ve been completely taken in by that Old Man Chu, utterly incapable of pulling out!"

"Mr. Chu hasn’t fooled me," Miao Qingjie said, "This Mr. Sun is indeed a person of great fortune."

Hu Yuni asked, "Then has he found the remains?"

"He did."

"Hmm—?"

"He indeed found them," Miao Qingjie nodded gently, "Unfortunately, they slipped away again."

Hu Yuni’s eyes flashed brightly, and she hurriedly pressed for more details.

At this moment, two other experts from the Star-picking Cliff also arrived.

They were panting, their faces pale.

Having exerted all their effort, they hurriedly greeted Hu Yuni.

Hu Yuni clasped her fists and let Miao Qingjie continue speaking.

Miao Qingjie and the other two experts recounted the search process.

Hu Yuni said, "Let’s go and have a look at that previous location."

...

Hu Yuni first arrived in front of a deep pit, observing the accumulated water within.

She stamped her foot lightly, and instantly a column of water shot into the sky.

She waved her left palm, and as the water column was about to fall, it flew horizontally into a nearby river.

The deep pit was now devoid of water, empty and barren.

Her bright eyes scanned the area, and she gently shook her head before moving to another pine tree.

In front of this pine tree was only a circular mark, a shallow and unremarkable imprint.

She stepped onto the circular mark, closed her bright eyes, and focused on sensing the aura on it.

A moment later, she suddenly drew her sword from its scabbard.

The azure sword aura slowly extended, creating a circular mark beside the original one.

Throughout this process, she kept her bright eyes closed, concentrating on her senses.

Miao Qingjie and the other two cautiously remained silent, careful not to disturb her.

After a while, Hu Yuni opened her bright eyes, which sparkled like morning stars.

"Junior Sister Hu, how is it?"

"Definitely stronger than me," Hu Yuni replied indifferently, "and far better than you, Senior Brothers."

"Truly a master with hidden depth," Miao Qingjie sighed.

Hu Yuni snorted, "With ulterior motives!"

Miao Qingjie said, "I approached Mr. Sun on my own, not the other way around."

"Brother Miao, you..." Hu Yuni shook her head, "You trust others too easily."

Not sure whether to say Brother Miao is too naive or just silly.

Sometimes, skilled people turn passive into active, which Brother Miao can’t see.

"I trust Mr. Sun," Miao Qingjie said with a smile, "He doesn’t seem that concerned with the remains."

"Hmph, you really believe that," Hu Yuni huffed, "Is there anyone in the world who isn’t interested in remains?"

"I’ve agreed to study them together with him, and Mr. Sun has been cautious, always staying with me, so he can’t gobble up the discovery alone."

Hu Yuni said, "Alright then, we’ll see in the future. I’ll look into his background thoroughly."

Miao Qingjie hurriedly said, "Junior Sister, don’t make it too awkward, I still want to be friends with Mr. Sun."

"I know," Hu Yuni replied with exasperation, "Let’s go."

She turned and walked back.

Miao Qingjie breathed a sigh of relief and quickly followed.

At this moment, Leng Tieya was standing in his courtyard, using Super Sensing Illumination to observe in this direction.

He shook his head gently.

This Hu Yuni truly lived up to her reputation as the top prodigy, her intuition far surpassing Miao Qingjie.

She’s also much harder to deal with.

Fortunately, Chu Liezhao wasn’t here, or else he’d be exposed immediately.

With Hu Yuni’s sharp perception, she’d likely recognize him at once.

Meanwhile, in the Scripture Hall on Great Bright Peak, Chu Liezhao put down the Martial Arts Notes and drew a Light Gate.

He then stepped into the Light Gate and vanished without a trace.

The four elders sitting cross-legged in the hall’s center opened their eyes, exchanged glances, shook their heads, and then closed their eyes again.

They were already accustomed to Chu Liezhao’s comings and goings.

The next moment, Chu Liezhao appeared in a dense forest, his gaze fixed on a spot by a pine tree.

A small knife hovered above the tree, transparent as if carved from ice, almost invisible.

Chu Liezhao’s gaze returned to the pine tree, displaying a thoughtful expression.

Time slowly passed.

He pushed his right palm forward, causing a golden Hand Seal to condense in the air, rushing forward with a faint dragon’s roar.

"Boom boom boom boom..."

Where the Hand Seal passed, branches and leaves exploded into fragments.