Ning Fa's face was filled with shock.
This Liu Qinghui was aiming for the sky in a single leap.
How noble was the status of an inner disciple of the Huayu Sect? On Jiang Kingdom territory, especially in the southern regions, they could absolutely do as they pleased.
What was the identity of this young girl named Duanmu Ling, to be able to so easily promise a spot as an inner disciple of the Huayu Sect!
Ning Fa immediately felt dejected again.
Why didn't this girl offer him a chance to join the Huayu Sect?
Was his Lightning Spiritual Root really worth so few Spirit Stones?
Duanmu Ling then said indifferently, "Besides that, I will also supply you with cultivation resources, enough to at least help you break through to the Foundation Establishment realm. Of course, this comes with conditions. Not only will you have to help me with some matters in the future, but you must also sign a contract with me, becoming a member of the Duanmu family. You cannot be indecisive anymore."
Hearing this, Ning Fa no longer felt envious.
He didn't want to be controlled by others.
While he was surprised, he also found it strange. Did such Yuan Ying major sects also have divisions based on family influence?
Liu Qinghui's face first showed a mixture of surprise and joy, then hesitation.
Seeing this, Duanmu Ling smiled faintly, "Don't worry, I don't like to force others. I'll give you a chance to choose. You can make your decision before I leave Thousand Wave Lake."
Liu Qinghui's expression returned to calm, and she said softly, "This junior obeys."
Ning Fa, however, was cursing inwardly.
You say nice things, giving Liu Qinghui a choice, but why, when it comes to me, don't you give me a choice to help or not?
Duanmu Ling looked at Ning Fa again and smiled lightly, "Fellow Daoist Ning, don't be envious. As long as you do your best to help me when the time comes, I will give you the same opportunity. After all, you also have a Lightning Spiritual Root, and your talent is considered rare. We shall meet again in ten days."
With that, a pink petal appeared under her feet, carrying her as she suddenly sped away.
Feng Jue touched his bald head, let out a chuckle, and then stomped the ground fiercely, soaring into the sky.
Ning Fa's heart instantly felt balanced.
He looked at Liu Qinghui, his eyes narrowing.
He had long suspected the secret of Liu Qinghui's body, especially after they had cultivated together so many times.
Ning Fa's tone was unfriendly, "You knew there was a cave dwelling here? The Crimson Rainbow Grass was just a pretense?"
Liu Qinghui calmly replied, "That's right. Through a fortunate encounter, I learned of the cave dwelling here. My seeking you out earlier was partly to save our family, and partly because I hoped to use your hand to clear out these Blood Poison Bees."
Ning Fa sneered, "And then you could return here yourself and reap the benefits without lifting a finger?"
Liu Qinghui's expression remained unchanged, "Did I lie to you about anything? Didn't you indeed obtain those Golden Silk Silkworms here? If you were me, would you tell others about the existence of this cave dwelling?"
Ning Fa's momentum faltered, and he was momentarily unable to refute her.
Liu Qinghui sighed again, "What's the use of talking about this now? In any case, the contents of that cave dwelling were taken by those two senior figures who just left."
Ning Fa said irritably, "You still profited from misfortune, gaining the favor of that important figure. Not only can you join the Huayu Sect as an inner disciple, but you can also become a member of that important figure's family."
Liu Qinghui's beautiful eyes misted over, and she sighed, "Is this necessarily a good thing? Although she seemed to give me a choice, in reality, I had no choice. Who can say what the future holds?"
Ning Fa fell silent.
Thinking about the help that young girl wanted from him, he felt a headache coming on again.
The joy he had felt from obtaining those Golden Silk Silkworms upon arriving at Nan Hua Island was completely gone.
He said dully, "Thinking too much is useless. Let's return to the family first."
With that, he summoned his Flying Carriage and whisked the two of them away.
The place returned to silence.
Night fell, and the bright moonlight shone into the valley.
A figure mysteriously appeared in the valley.
He looked very young, with a heroic aura, and a calm and composed demeanor that belied his age.
This person was none other than Ning Fa's former subordinate, Ning Daozhen, a direct descendant of the First Elder's lineage.
Ning Daozhen scanned the surroundings and immediately discovered the cave dwelling that had already been broken into. His previously composed expression turned grim.
With a flick of his hand, a flash of spiritual light appeared, and a short, humanoid puppet materialized before him.
The puppet's eyes flashed red, and then it seemed to possess a spirit, gently moving its limbs.
Ning Daozhen said coldly, "It seems I'm a step too late. This cave dwelling has already been discovered, likely within the last day or two. Do you have anything to tell me?"
The puppet stiffly touched its chin with its arm. Without opening its mouth, a gentle male voice emerged, "Before my lifespan was nearing its end, I cultivated the forbidden secret art in the Primordial Soul Split Spirit Art, and simultaneously secretly built several cave dwellings for my future cultivation."
"To prevent myself from forgetting key memories after re-cultivating, I also left clues in these cave dwellings leading to other cave dwellings. The cave dwelling on Nan Hua Island was relatively hidden. It seems someone obtained clues from another cave dwelling and found their way here."
Ning Daozhen frowned, "In that case, doesn't that mean your other cave dwellings are also not safe?"
The puppet chuckled, "You don't need to worry. Only three cave dwellings point to each other. Although these three cave dwellings also contained some important items, they are expendable to me. For the truly important cave dwelling, I left no clues."
Ning Daozhen, however, was puzzled, "Then aren't you afraid of forgetting about this true cave dwelling?"
He then said coldly, "Your complete cultivation techniques for the Heavenly Puppet Treasure Scripture and the Primordial Soul Split Spirit Art should be in that true cave dwelling. The Heavenly Puppet Treasure Scripture is one thing, but if I don't get the complete Primordial Soul Split Spirit Art, along with the visualization diagrams, you should know what your fate will be!"
The puppet flinched, shrinking its shoulders in fear, and said with a bitter smile, "This old man is truly unlucky. After finally succeeding in splitting off a wisp of my divine soul, I'm caught by a freak like you. It's truly fate."
"Speaking of which, this old man is extremely curious. Are you really an old monster who has reborn through possession? But it doesn't seem like it. I don't have many other skills now, but my divine soul perception is very keen. I can confirm that your divine soul is very young, matching your age. Why is that?"
Seeing Ning Daozhen's eyes turn cold, the puppet quickly chuckled and continued, "Don't worry, I've already anticipated this. Follow me."
With that, the puppet led the way into the cave dwelling.
At the entrance of the cave dwelling, they saw the pile of guard puppets that had already been reduced to fragments.
The puppet's eyes lit up, and it breathed a sigh of relief, "Fortunately, fortunately, these things are still here."
After speaking, a beam of red light shot from its eyes, shining onto the puppet fragments.
Immediately, several streams of faint blue light flew out from the puppet fragments, merging with the red light into the puppet's eyes.
The puppet closed its eyes tightly, while Ning Daozhen crossed his arms and watched it coldly.
After a while, the puppet opened its eyes and laughed heartily, "This old man knows now. The real cave dwelling is also in Thousand Wave Lake, and it's even within your Ning Family's territory!"
Ning Daozhen couldn't help but be stunned and said disbelievingly, "In the Ning Family?"
The puppet chuckled and said, "That's right, it's on your Ning Family's Spirit Deer Island!"