The Yunyin Forest was the Yan Emperor’s summer retreat and winter refuge—a royal garden.
Upon learning this news, Yu Yi frowned slightly.
“Since it’s a treasured place beloved by the Yan Emperor, if a beast rampage occurs, the Imperial Court’s martial experts will definitely go to suppress it immediately, right?”
Despite knowing that the Yan Emperor had coveted her body for a long time and had been trying various ways to get Yu Yi into his Imperial Harem, Yu Yi was not afraid of that Yan Emperor. She even dared to take a stroll in the Yunyin Forest.
However, the Yunyin Forest had a special status.
Even if a beast rampage occurred there, by the time Yu Yi arrived, the monsters would probably have already been hunted down by the Imperial Court’s experts. There probably wouldn’t even be a single turbid soul essence left; it would have been destroyed on the spot.
Yet, Yu Yi then received an unexpected answer.
Ji Hongye replied, “No.”
Yu Yi was taken aback and confirmed with Ji Hongye, “Is there no beast rampage in the Yunyin Forest, or…”
“A rampage naturally occurred in the Yunyin Forest, but the Imperial Court did not send any experts to suppress it.”
Ji Hongye replied:
“I received this news immediately. I had planned to send Ruohan and Mingyan to the Yunyin Forest, but they told us to stand by and wait.”
Blue Ling’er was clever and perceptive, immediately catching the implication from Ji Hongye’s words.
She asked, “Senior Ji just said that a rampage occurred in the Yunyin Forest, but didn’t say it was a beast rampage. Could it be that what is rampaging in the Yunyin Forest is not a ‘monster beast’?”
She had long heard that besides the Sixth Disciple of among the colorful clouds who was skilled in schemes, the Second Disciple was also exceptionally intelligent.
Ji Hongye couldn’t help but smile and praised Blue Ling’er, “Having met you today, you truly live up to your reputation.”
She affirmed Blue Ling’er’s guess:
“Just as you thought, what is rampaging in the Yunyin Forest is not the monstrous beasts that people imagine as huge, dangerous, and powerful.”
“The Yunyin Forest is rich with Lingqi, indeed an excellent place for monster beasts to cultivate, but His Majesty naturally would not allow monster beasts to dwell there, so over many years, he expelled all the monster beasts hiding in the depths.”
Ji Hongye then added, “And His Majesty is fond of raising immortal birds and exotic fowl. This time, the Rot Qi invaded the Yunyin Forest, and the cranes there have gone on a rampage, becoming fierce and unpredictable.”
“Because His Majesty is unwilling to kill them all, he can only temporarily seal off the Yunyin Forest. At the same time, His Majesty has issued a bounty: anyone who can cure those ‘sick’ cranes will receive treasures personally bestowed by His Majesty.”
Blue Ling’er couldn’t help but exclaim, “What kind of cranes are these that His Majesty would give up the entire Yunyin Forest just to preserve them?”
“That place is a rare cultivation treasure land. If the corrupted cranes are allowed to spread the Rot Qi, the entire forest will be destroyed!”
Ji Hongye explained, “Those cranes are called golden-crowned cranes. Now, in the entire Great Yan, only the last ten remain, all dwelling in the Yunyin Forest.”
“Not only that, but it’s said that each feather shed by those cranes is worth a thousand gold. The golden-crowned crane is also the only species that can expel the soul essence from its body while alive.”
“They have been absorbing the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth in the Yunyin Forest for a hundred years, and the soul essence they expel could probably directly ‘create’ several Martial Kings out of thin air.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Yi finally lost her composure. So the Yan Emperor was raising ten “experience boosters.”
The Imperial Court’s experts—whoever was loyal and performed well—would get a chance to obtain a soul essence and directly advance several realms in cultivation?
“Senior, you just said that the Yan Emperor has issued a bounty and is widely recruiting ‘physicians’ to ‘cure’ the cranes, right?”
Yu Yi narrowed her eyes slightly and said meaningfully, “One of this Grandmaster’s disciples may be able to do the job.”
“If Little Sister Yu wants to go to the Capital City, I can have Ruohan act as your introduction,” Ji Hongye said.
“But Master, if we leave, what if someone organizes a punitive expedition against among the colorful clouds?” Blue Ling’er asked Yu Yi.
Now, among the colorful clouds was most likely already seen by the world as the culprit behind the beast rampage. Sooner or later, someone would come here to hold Yu Yi accountable.
By then, with Yu Yi not at among the colorful clouds, just relying on the Mountain-Protecting Array alone probably wouldn’t last long.
And at that moment, Ji Hongye’s earnest and reassuring voice rang out.
“I can stay here and look after this beautiful mountain forest for Little Sister Yu for a while.”
Ji Ruohan was about to go crazy again when she heard that.
“Master, th-this can’t be! If the Righteous Faction really gathers and sees you house-sitting for the female demon… Senior Yu, what will they think?”
Ji Ruohan quickly advised, “And since Senior Yu said that one of her disciples is competent, why not just send that disciple to the capital alone, while Senior Yu stays to hold down among the colorful clouds? Isn’t that fine?”
Before Yu Yi could respond, Ji Hongye instead explained to Ji Ruohan, “Ruohan, you should know how much His Majesty desires Little Sister Yu.”
“If we send Little Sister Yu’s disciple alone, there’s a good chance they’ll be detained by the people in the Imperial Court to use as leverage against Little Sister Yu.”
“Therefore, Little Sister Yu must go to the Capital City herself. Even if she appears directly before His Majesty, His Majesty will have no way to handle her.”
Ji Ruohan was stunned and didn’t know what to say. For a moment, she couldn’t even tell whether her master was on the side of the Right Path or the Demonic Path.
Yu Yi also hadn’t expected Ji Hongye to consider things so thoughtfully for her. Yu Yi felt a vague sense of shame. After all, from the moment Ji Hongye had visited among the colorful clouds until now, Yu Yi had only been treating her as a mere tool.
But Ji Hongye was different. Toward Yu Yi, her “only old friend,” she had a sincere heart and genuinely wanted to do everything she could to help Yu Yi.
“Senior, are you serious?” Yu Yi asked Ji Hongye with a serious expression.
“I am always serious when it comes to Little Sister Yu,” Ji Hongye replied.
On her cute, loli-like face appeared a gentle, kind smile that seemed incongruous with her appearance.
Yu Yi knew that if she continued to decline, she would be disrespecting Ji Hongye’s face as her “older sister.” So she graciously accepted Ji Hongye’s kindness and sincerely promised, “When everything is settled, we must definitely get together properly.”
Ji Hongye’s eyes smiled, and she nodded slightly. Without further words, she just lightly patted the back of Yu Yi’s hand and said, “Go on, now.”
These words were not just for Yu Yi, but even more for Ji Ruohan. Ji Ruohan was also ready. Although reluctant, she could only comply and said, “Senior Yu, this junior will now lead the way for you.”
As Yu Yi slowly rose from her seat, seeing that Ji Ruohan seemed somewhat reluctant, Yu Yi said to her in a faint tone, “Let this Grandmaster witness the skill of the ‘Fastest Sword Under Heaven,’ shall we?”
As expected, Ji Ruohan perked up upon hearing that.
“Oh? Then Senior Yu, you’d better not lose me, okay?”
Yu Yi curled her lips. It was time to show off the speed of the wind god shuttle at full throttle.