Chapter 11: An Unregistered Exit and a New Name

“Ah, another Sky Philosophy Sect disciple’s waist token. You certainly have a connection with the Sky Philosophy Sect, don’t you? And this token… Ye Lan?!”

Ye Lan’s face registered a look of astonishment.

She asked, “You’ve already found the disciple named Ye Lan?”

‘Damn it, how did that waist token end up in his hands?’

When Ye Lan plunged into the grotto-heaven containing the Profound Yin Netherworld Art, she hadn’t noticed that the waist token hanging at her side had fallen.

She had always assumed the token, along with all her personal belongings, had been transmuted by the power of yin and yang rotation.

‘He already knows I was in that grotto-heaven!?’

Ye Lan’s mind raced, frantically devising a plan to keep this matter concealed.

Quan Haoqing, observing Ye Lan’s expression, shook his head.

“If I had truly found her, I would have already gone out to claim the reward,” he stated.

“By the way, this waist token was found in the grotto-heaven we just left. Fellow Daoist, you entered that grotto-heaven earlier than I did, so I wonder if you saw this person or noticed any suspicious activity?”

Ye Lan adopted a pensive demeanor, her soft hand, as pristine as a freshly steamed bun, cradling her smooth chin.

Her delicate features furrowed in thought.

After a moment, she slowly began, “Initially, I didn’t perceive anything out of the ordinary, but now that you mention it, perhaps that suspicious activity was indeed caused by the person named Ye Lan.”

A glint flashed in Quan Haoqing’s eyes.

“Suspicious activity?”

Ye Lan nodded.

“I was initially cultivating at the bottom of the ice lake. During that time, I sensed something approaching the lake, and the water was disturbed, causing ripples to spread across its surface.”

“However, the disturbance came and went quickly, so I dismissed it, thinking it was just a creature from that grotto-heaven coming to drink from the ice lake.”

“But upon reflection, the ice lake’s water contains Profound Yin energy, which ordinary creatures cannot withstand.”

“And if it had been some other exotic beast, my Tome Spirit should have alerted me.”

“I now believe that person was very likely the owner of this waist token, Ye Lan.”

As she pondered, Ye Lan formulated her response to Quan Haoqing.

With the waist token already discovered, claiming to have noticed nothing would undoubtedly appear far more suspicious.

“So, he entered that grotto-heaven after you, Fellow Daoist,” Quan Haoqing mused.

“No wonder he couldn’t be found near the ice lake; he clearly had no knowledge of the secret manual’s existence.”

Quan Haoqing spoke with a hint of regret.

“I had hoped to uncover some clues, allowing us to split the reward, Fellow Daoist. What a shame.”

Ye Lan shrugged.

“It is a shame indeed. However, with these two waist tokens in your possession, I believe you’ll find that Ye Lan sooner rather than later.”

“What is yours will eventually be yours.”

Quan Haoqing offered a frank smile.

“I think I’ll pass. This mission runs too deep; as a mere rogue cultivator, it’s best I don’t meddle in the grievances of the great sects, lest I invite disaster upon myself.”

With that, Quan Haoqing casually tossed the two Sky Philosophy Sect waist tokens from his hand into his spatial secret realm, their final destination within the myriad spaces unknown.

‘Tsk, what a pity.’

Ye Lan, for her part, had secretly hoped Quan Haoqing would keep them.

She believed that if he carried those tokens, given the Sky Philosophy Sect’s extensive control over the region, it wouldn’t be long before he was identified as a prime suspect and apprehended by the sect.

At that point, even if Quan Haoqing possessed a silver tongue, he would undoubtedly face a good deal of trouble.

As the two waist tokens vanished, so too did the topic of the sect’s bounty, and Ye Lan’s attention once again settled on Quan Haoqing.

Though the distraction of the tokens had calmed her initial agitation, this did not signify her willingness to let Quan Haoqing off the hook.

The Profound Ice Sword was already cradled in Ye Lan’s arms, her crescent-moon eyebrows tightly furrowed as her gaze, imbued with hostility, fixed on Quan Haoqing.

“You were waiting for me?”

Initially tense from Ye Lan’s sudden drawing of her sword, he breathed a sigh of relief upon confirming she had no intention of launching another swift attack.

He began to explain, “A misunderstanding! This truly was just a coincidence! I merely wanted to exit the secret realm!”

Ye Lan retorted with disdain, “You want to exit the secret realm, yet you’re heading deeper inside?! Do you truly believe I don’t know the way?”

Quan Haoqing shrugged.

“Uh, well, with meager family wealth, one can’t always take the main road.”

At Quan Haoqing’s words, Ye Lan immediately understood.

Although rogue cultivators were permitted by the major sects to enter this secret realm, these sects were clearly not in the business of charity.

While allowing access through secure entrances and exits, they also demanded a substantial entry and exit fee.

This implied that rogue cultivators entering the secret realm needed to acquire significant fortuitous encounters to avoid leaving empty-handed or even in debt.

It was much like how, in her previous life, some people would employ every possible method to evade high taxes.

Rogue cultivators, already at the bottom rung of the cultivation world, naturally wouldn’t resign themselves to being harvested like leeks.

Secret realms were blessings left by mighty cultivators of the Dao Inquiry Realm or quasi-immortals for future generations.

Many secret realms were merely small, artificially created spaces, lacking true, inherent entrances and exits.

The entrances and exits controlled by the major sects were stable passages established by those ancient sages.

However, once a secret realm opened, as its space twisted with reality, unstable nodes would also appear.

Entry into the secret realm was possible through these nodes, and their locations were entirely random.

This discovery was made by a mighty cultivator of the Dao Inquiry Realm, who was also a rogue cultivator.

Having a profound understanding of the Dao of Space and harboring deep dissatisfaction with the major sects’ control over resources and exploitation of rogue cultivators, he publicly revealed his research findings and methods.

Even the most prominent sects were unwilling to easily offend a mighty cultivator of the Dao Inquiry Realm.

Furthermore, since this powerful individual had not used his discovery for personal gain, earning him widespread acclaim in the cultivation world, the sects could only grit their teeth and swallow the bitter pill.

Subsequently, later generations built upon this mighty cultivator’s achievements, making numerous improvements that drastically reduced the cost of opening alternative passages into secret realms.

Consequently, each time a secret realm opened, a large number of ‘unregistered’ rogue cultivators would enter.

A complete monopoly would have appeared too unsightly, and lacking effective countermeasures, the major sects eventually tacitly accepted this situation.

Another significant reason was the inherent risk of entering a secret realm through these nodes.

Unstable nodes implied unstable spatial structures, and cultivators traversing them had to endure violent spatial fluctuations.

Without sufficient means, one would surely perish within; even successful entry often resulted in injury, and exiting carried the same, if not greater, spatial turbulence.

Some injured ‘unregistered’ rogue cultivators, desperate to preserve their lives, were forced to use the official channels.

Naturally, unregistered cultivators would be compelled to pay the entry and exit fees and face certain penalties.

Upon hearing Quan Haoqing’s words, Ye Lan suddenly recalled that she, too, was seemingly an ‘unregistered’ entrant.

If she were to exit this way, she would likely be subjected to fines and physical punishment before even having a chance to explain herself to her sect.

For a moment, Ye Lan felt utterly dispirited, yet she reminded herself that it was precisely because of the Profound Yin Netherworld Art that she had salvaged her life.

Complaining about this now would be truly ungrateful.

“If Milady has no further business, I shall take my leave?”

Seeing Ye Lan lost in thought once more, Quan Haoqing wished to ease the tension between them.

However, after much deliberation, he realized their only common ground currently consisted of two unpleasant encounters and that intensely alluring battle.

Then, Ye Lan’s exquisite face and graceful figure began to dominate his thoughts.

‘Bringing that up would surely provoke her into fighting me to the death!’

Vigorously shaking his head to dispel such improper thoughts, Quan Haoqing decisively abandoned that alluring, yet potentially fatal, topic of conversation.

With Ye Lan’s attention currently elsewhere, making a swift escape seemed the most prudent course of action.

“Wait.”

Quan Haoqing brushed past Ye Lan, but before he could take two steps, he was halted by her cool, clear voice.

‘Could it be that I can’t escape after all?’

Quan Haoqing said helplessly, “What happened before was truly just a misunder…”

“Take me out. I can pay you a reward.”

Before Quan Haoqing could finish his sentence, Ye Lan interrupted, uttering words that surprised him.

“Are ten high-grade spirit stones enough?”

Ye Lan observed Quan Haoqing’s dumbfounded expression and asked, puzzled, “Is that too little?”

Quan Haoqing shook his head.

He hadn’t expected Ye Lan to be so unconcerned, just as his own Tome Spirit had suggested.

What a remarkably reasonable woman.

“Fellow Daoist, your magnanimity truly is expansive.”

Ye Lan’s expression subtly shifted at Quan Haoqing’s heartfelt exclamation.

She instinctively glanced down at her own chest, where, unimpeded, she could effortlessly see her toes.

Indeed, it was quite ‘expansive.’

She knew Quan Haoqing wasn’t referring to that, and her own glance had been a momentary impulse.

Still, she genuinely couldn’t comprehend why paying for a service would warrant such praise.

“That’s not what I meant!”

Quan Haoqing hastily explained.

‘Who knew why this woman would look at her own chest after hearing my words!’

‘So, it seems even when complimenting others, one must first consider their figure before choosing words of praise, huh?!’

Silently, he struck the phrase “expansive magnanimity” from his mental dictionary of compliments for Ye Lan.

He took a deep breath and asked, “Could you tell me why Fellow Daoist is unwilling to exit through the main entrance? You entered through there, didn’t you?”

Although Quan Haoqing hadn’t witnessed Ye Lan’s entry into the secret realm, he had inferred some details from her reactions.

Ye Lan calmly stated, “I am not from a sect. While I’ve gained something this time, it’s not enough for me to splurge again, so I have no choice but to take a risk.”

Quan Haoqing nodded.

That reason seemed logical enough.

For rogue cultivators, entering secret realms controlled by sects was inherently a risky investment, as both entry and exit through official channels incurred substantial fees.

If the gains within the secret realm were significant enough, it would be fine.

However, if they merely broke even, or if their gains couldn’t even cover the deductions, then even normally law-abiding rogue cultivators would naturally contemplate taking risks.

Yet, he found Ye Lan’s claim of being a rogue cultivator difficult to believe.

Various signs indicated that Ye Lan lacked the typical habits and common knowledge of rogue cultivators.

‘Could she be a young lady of noble birth, seizing this opportunity to escape her elders’ surveillance and experience the mortal world?’

After a moment of thought, Quan Haoqing said, “Alright, but you don’t need to pay.”

Quan Haoqing had no intention of accepting Ye Lan’s spirit stones.

Ye Lan, however, frowned slightly.

“I dislike owing others favors,” she stated.

‘This way, I won’t have any qualms about dealing with you later.’

Ye Lan thought to herself.

Quan Haoqing truly didn’t know whether to call Ye Lan naive or magnanimous; after all, she had clearly suffered a great loss earlier.

‘Well, since she’s like this, if I continue to be awkward, it’ll just seem overly sentimental.’

Thus, he shook his head.

“It’s not that,” he began.

“Rather, the node I use isn’t safe. Although I discovered it, I’ve had conflicts with some people because of it, and if I’m unlucky, they might be ambushing me outside.”

“Since Fellow Daoist also wishes to exit through that node, I fear you might also encounter them. Those individuals are not benevolent; if they see your face, they might harbor ill intentions and attack you as well.”

“So, my requested compensation is simple: help me deal with those people on our way out. What do you say?”

‘See my face?’

Ye Lan touched the nearly perfect contours of her face, finding merit in Quan Haoqing’s words.

The mere thought of being stared at by men with such lecherous gazes sent shivers down her spine.

She then mused, “Their strength and numbers?”

Quan Haoqing calmly replied, “They are all cultivators of the Origin Reversion Realm. Their individual strength isn’t particularly formidable, but their numbers are a bit higher, around six people.”

Ye Lan agreed decisively.

“Done. Let’s go.”

Quan Haoqing gazed admiringly at the resolute Ye Lan, nodding.

He then inquired, “I haven’t yet asked for Fellow Daoist’s esteemed surname.”

“My surname is Ye, and my given name is… Qingfeng. For now, please call me by this name.”

‘The name Ye Lan, I fear, will not be reclaimed until much, much later.’

Ye Lan—no, Ye Qingfeng—let out a bitter, silent laugh.

At this moment, all she desired was to swiftly depart the secret realm and ascertain the message conveyed by her communication talisman.