Chapter 10: A Strategic Exchange

“In two more days, disciples from the Feiyun Sect will come to observe.”

While Xu Tu secretly marveled at Ye Cha’s grand ambitions, Ye Cha’s eyes, upon hearing his words, couldn’t help but reveal a look of confusion.

The Feiyun Sect was barely considered a first-rate sect, yet it was at the very bottom of that tier.

For such a sect to visit the Lingtian Sect, it shouldn’t command enough respect to warrant the Lingtian Sect, the foremost righteous sect, to greet them with smiles.

Pondering this, Ye Cha didn’t rush to ask for more details, instead patiently awaiting further information.

Xu Tu always enjoyed keeping people in suspense when he spoke. Having already understood his character, Ye Cha naturally had a way to deal with him.

As long as he didn’t indulge Xu Tu by continuing to ask questions, Xu Tu would eventually be unable to resist speaking up himself.

“Ye Cha, aren’t you curious?”

Indeed, Ye Cha’s guess was correct.

While Xu Tu waited for Ye Cha’s next words, Ye Cha remained silent for a long time, which left Xu Tu exasperated. He finally conceded and spoke.

His words were filled with resentment, recalling that Ye Cha hadn’t been like this during their previous interactions.

Initially, Ye Cha’s words were always pleasant to hear, making Xu Tu feel he had found the perfect confidant. Consequently, even some less important pieces of news would slip out casually, treated as a gift of friendship between two people who had just met.

Alas, as the two grew more familiar, Ye Cha’s gentle facade was stripped away.

Despite Ye Cha’s handsome appearance and righteous demeanor, he was, in private, a master manipulator. If he put his mind to it, he could easily charm female cultivators into a dizzying spin.

However, at this point, Xu Tu grew confused once more.

The Ye Cha from before never vied for anything, nor was he particularly enthusiastic about female cultivators, merely focusing on his tranquil life. How had he suddenly changed recently?

What was more, he had now set his sights on the sect leader, Shen Ruotong. Such audacity was truly unprecedented and unheard of.

He was practically a warrior for daring so much!

“I’m calculating whether the information you’re offering is worth five mid-grade spirit stones,” Ye Cha stated expressionlessly when he heard Xu Tu’s eager question. “If it’s not, there are still plenty of information brokers within the sect. I could…”

His words were calm and unperturbed.

Yet, upon hearing them, Xu Tu immediately grew anxious.

He absolutely couldn’t let a major client like Ye Cha simply walk away!

If it had been in the past, he wouldn’t have cared, but now that he knew Ye Cha seemed to be planning something significant, Xu Tu felt he absolutely had to follow in Ye Cha’s footsteps.

Ye Cha was destined for great achievements in the future!

No matter what, he couldn’t lose this golden opportunity with Ye Cha!

With this thought, Xu Tu put aside his inner gossip and honestly began recounting the rest of the story.

“Although the Feiyun Sect cannot compare with the Lingtian Sect, among the cultivators observing this minor competition, there is a very important figure! She is Zhou Lingling, the personal granddaughter of Feiyun Sect’s Grand Ancestor, Zhou Lin. With that said, you should understand now, right?”

“I heard that a hundred years ago, Feiyun Sect’s Grand Ancestor’s cultivation had already reached the Void Glimpse realm! This is practically a legendary realm; I wouldn’t even dare to dream of it at night…”

“Of course, while the Feiyun Sect has Grand Ancestors, our Lingyun Sect does too. It’s just that these ancestors are rarely seen figures now. Otherwise, if they were to fight, it would cause a cataclysm, with heaven and earth changing color and lives perishing! However, many people are secretly discussing our sect leader’s current cultivation level, wondering if she might become the youngest Void Glimpse cultivator in the cultivation world!”

When Xu Tu started talking, there was no end to it.

However, Ye Cha didn’t find it annoying. Instead, he meticulously extracted the information he needed from the scattered words, committing it firmly to memory.

Upon hearing Xu Tu’s explanation, Ye Cha immediately understood why the Elder Council wanted him to handle the reception.

So, it was someone with connections.

Ye Cha didn’t dwell on it much. Instead, he simply posed the question on his mind to Xu Tu.

“Will the Sect Leader attend the inner-sect competition?”

Ye Cha asked forthrightly, without any pretense or concealment.

He didn’t need to feign anything in front of Xu Tu.

There was no necessity for pretense.

It wasn’t that Ye Cha trusted Xu Tu’s character; rather, he held leverage over him.

Moreover, even if Xu Tu were to spread rumors, with Ye Cha constantly maintaining his flawless facade, Xu Tu was destined to gain nothing good from it.

Considering all this, Ye Cha felt that since he would frequently deal with Xu Tu in the future, going around in circles wasn’t a development he desired, nor was it worth the trouble. He might as well be direct.

The outcome was naturally favorable. After a moment of surprise, Xu Tu, with professional integrity, immediately clamped his mouth shut.

“That’s uncertain, but there’s a high probability… because I heard that Zhou Lingling is here on a mission, tasked by the Feiyun Sect’s Grand Ancestor to hand something over to the Sect Leader.”

At Ye Cha’s inquiry, Xu Tu couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. After a moment of hesitation, he still divulged the information he knew.

Upon hearing this, Ye Cha immediately nodded. He then retrieved five spirit stones from the storage pouch hanging at his waist and tossed them directly to Xu Tu.

“Don’t contact me again for a while, lest you cause any trouble.”

Having spoken, Ye Cha turned and walked back the way he came, not lingering any longer.

All the desired information was now in hand. Next, he could proceed with the next phase of his plans.

His steps were light, his departure graceful.

However, Xu Tu couldn’t suppress his curiosity, finally calling out a question to Ye Cha’s retreating back.

“Ye Cha, do you truly intend to capture the Sect Leader’s heart?”

Hearing Xu Tu’s question, Ye Cha paused. He then turned slightly to glance at Xu Tu, a slow smile spreading across his lips.

In that brief instant, sunlight illuminated his face, softening Ye Cha’s handsome and refined features.

At that moment, he seemed like a truly innocent and charming youth.

“What do you think?”

Immediately after speaking, Ye Cha said nothing more. He simply turned and walked away without a trace of hesitation.

Behind him, Xu Tu helplessly shook his head, truly at a loss for words regarding Ye Cha.

After the initial shock and excitement, Xu Tu’s thoughts swiftly returned to reality, and he calmed down as well.

While he admired Ye Cha’s ambitious goal of charming the Sect Leader, Shen Ruotong was no ordinary female cultivator. If Ye Cha failed, that would be one thing.

But if Ye Cha succeeded…

He recalled the myriad legends circulating about Shen Ruotong from her early years in the cultivation world. Some had even coined a rhyme about her: ‘Cold and ruthless sword immortal, countless souls slain by her blade. Single-minded in pursuit of the Dao of Longevity, heartless and emotionless for ten thousand years.’

From this, it was evident that Shen Ruotong’s formidable nature was directly proportional to her strength!

This made Xu Tu silently light a candle for Ye Cha in his heart, hoping that he would be alright afterward!