Miasma Tide

Guo Tao paused for a moment before continuing.

"Today, Yiwen deliberately tested him with barbs and humiliated him to his face. Jiyin was furious but didn't dare speak a word. After receiving the Qi Gathering Pills, he was actually filled with gratitude. This shows the brat is as timid as a mouse and utterly spineless-there is no need to waste any worry on him."

Hearing this, Yan Zhengping's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed. He nodded in agreement.

"What you say makes sense, but we still cannot be careless. When facing Yiwen's insults, Jiyin's expression didn't even flicker; his temperament cultivation is quite formidable. Any other fifteen or sixteen-year-old cultivator subjected to such humiliation would have flown into a thunderous rage, or at the very least, turned red with shame."

At this moment, a burly man in the room spoke up in a muffled, booming voice.

"Big Brother, you worry too much. On our Yan family's territory, how would a mere Qi Refining third-layer brat dare to fly into a rage? If you're truly so anxious, why don't we just do it thoroughly and end him? That way, there is absolutely zero risk of the Seven-Color Grass secret being exposed."

Yan Zhengping cast a dark, displeased look at his third brother. He had always disliked this younger brother of his-while the man possessed considerable strength, it seemed his physical tempering had filled his brain with nothing but muscle, leaving him completely devoid of wit.

"Foolish. Jiyin is young and weak, which makes him easy to deceive. Slitting his throat would only risk drawing the attention of the Corpse Demon Sect, which would increase the chances of the Seven-Color Grass secret being exposed."

After rebuking his third brother, Yan Zhengping turned his gaze back to Guo Tao, his tone softening.

"Xiao Tao, for the sake of the family's rise, you have suffered greatly these past few years."

"Years ago, you concealed your identity and joined the Corpse Demon Sect alone. Without a shred of help from the family, you relied entirely on your own talent and unyielding effort to become an inner sect disciple. That was no small feat. At this critical juncture, you even managed to secure the audit assignment for our clan. Your contributions to the family are immense."

"If the family's grand scheme succeeds this time, your meritorious service will never be forgotten. In the future, a Foundation Establishment Pill will definitely have your name on it."

Guo Tao's expression grew visibly excited as he bowed.

"I am a man of the Yan family by blood. I am ready to exert myself to the utmost for the clan, even if it means dying ten thousand deaths."

Yan Zhengping nodded. "Though Xiao Tao is the primary disciple leading this audit, the necessary arrangements must still be flawless. After all, Jiyin is present too. If he doesn't even set foot in the spiritual fields once, it will look highly suspicious to outsiders."

"We cannot lower our guard against Jiyin either. Xiao Tao, you must keep a constant eye on him. If you notice even a shred of suspicion on his part, report it immediately. If things truly push us to the brink, you may execute him on the spot."

"Understood," Guo Tao replied.

Yan Zhengping then turned to the other men in the room.

"How many days will it take to finish the arrangements in the spiritual fields?"

"Roughly seven days," one of them answered.

"Hasten the preparations."

"Yes, Patriarch!" the remaining men chorused.

...

The next morning, at dawn.

Song Wen pushed open his door, intending to take a stroll nearby. He wanted to observe the surrounding layout while stretching his limbs.

"Creak."

Right at that moment, the door to Guo Tao's room next door swung open as well.

"Junior Brother Jiyin, up so early? Where are you heading?"

"Good morning, Senior Brother Guo. I'm not quite accustomed to a new environment yet, so I figured I would wander around the area."

Guo Tao's expression turned uncharacteristically grave.

"I just received word from the Yan Patriarch. A miasma tide has suddenly erupted in the Poisonous Miasma Swamp. Outside the Yan family's estate, the toxic fog is churning violently, and its virulence has multiplied. The entire swamp has become completely unfit for human movement. Even late-stage Qi Refining cultivators like myself wouldn't last a moment out there."

"The audit will have to be postponed for a few days. During this time, the two of us should remain inside our rooms and refrain from wandering about. We are unfamiliar with this terrain; it would be a terrible waste to lose our lives by accidentally stumbling into a pocket of concentrated miasma."

Song Wen's youthful face instantly warped into an expression of sheer terror.

"A miasma tide chose to erupt right now? That is truly terrifying! It is indeed safer to stay indoors. I shall return immediately."

Without waiting, Song Wen turned on his heel and stepped back into his room.

Guo Tao watched the door click shut, a cold, sneering smile playing at the edge of his lips.

"A greenhorn fresh out of the sect... truly too easy to manipulate."

Yet, the moment Song Wen stepped across his threshold, his mind was racing with dark doubts.

Guo Tao's behavior was entirely abnormal. The exact moment he stepped outside, the man had opened his door-it was far too precise to be a mere coincidence. It felt explicitly as though Guo Tao had been waiting for him to move.

Furthermore, the miasma tide Guo Tao mentioned had been detailed in the jade slip Chen Yi gave him.

Miasma tides occurred without any set pattern, typically once every two to three years. Whenever one manifested, a brilliant, multicolored aurora would light up the heavens.

Because of this grand celestial phenomenon, many had suspected that a supreme treasure lay hidden deep within the Poisonous Miasma Swamp. However, after countless generations of cultivators turned the swamp upside down and found nothing, the rumors had faded into obscurity.

Just now, when Song Wen looked out past the grand defensive formation, the sky was completely ordinary-the same dull, hazy gray as any other day. There wasn't a single trace of the multicolored aurora mentioned in the intelligence.

Moreover, ever since they arrived at the Yan family estate, Guo Tao had repeatedly warned him not to wander around. On the surface, it looked like a senior brother looking out for his junior's safety, but in reality, it felt more like an intentional house arrest.

There was also a glaring loophole in Guo Tao's words. Even if Song Wen went for a stroll, he would never be foolish enough to walk past the borders of the Yan family's defensive formation.

Song Wen refused to believe that the toxic miasma could breach the protective barrier. If the formation was that useless, the low-level disciples and mortal servants of the Yan family would have dropped dead long ago.

A deep seed of suspicion toward Guo Tao planted itself in Song Wen's heart. He suddenly realized that Elder Shen's parting voice transmission had been a deliberate, vital warning.

However, Song Wen did not show even a hint of skepticism on his face.

If Guo Tao had truly colluded with the Yan family, then Song Wen was fighting this battle completely alone. At present, his only option for survival was to play along submissively and let them dictate his movements. As for the sect's audit, it would have to wait.

Over the next few days, Song Wen rarely opened his door. On the rare occasions he did, it was merely to stand at the threshold for a brief breath of fresh air before retreating back inside.

Song Wen understood clearly. Something was profoundly wrong with the spiritual fields, and the Yan family was using this buffer period to fabricate a disguise. Since Guo Tao was acting hand-in-glove with them, the Yan family only needed to successfully deceive a boy who appeared to be a mere third-layer Qi Refining weakling to smoothly pass the sect's inspection.

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