"Hehe, I thought there would be many outsiders hiding here, but it turns out there are just a few."

Suddenly, two soft chuckles came from the terrifying tiger face, the dark clouds obscured the sun, and a figure emerged from the murky night of the alley.

Under the oil lamp of Chu Yiyuan, the shadow stretched, exuding an indescribable eerie feeling. This person's presence was unremarkable, seemingly like an ordinary merchant's son, but for some reason, he was even more terrifying than the tiger-faced man.

Chu Yiyuan's throat tightened slightly as he quickly glanced at the two people. The situation in Wuchang Prefecture was still unclear, and the Xia Shui Su Family had merely been put in the same boat. Su Hongtao was just pretending to comply, but once the situation changed, these White Lotus Sect people would most likely fall here...

"May I ask your esteemed name?" He swallowed and spoke again.

The man seemed to be observing the surroundings, looking at the hall within this solitary courtyard. The shrine of The Three Pure Ones stood on a yellow altar, with offerings of fruits and flowers on the table, and three sticks of incense burning in front of the furnace. It looked no different from a Taoist setting. However, upon closer inspection, when a White Lotus Sect member bent over to add oil to a lamp, a faint light emerged from the folds of the Yuanshi Tianzun statue's robe, and within the shadows of the altar, a pair of crescent eyes seemed to gaze from the abyss.

The statue had white hair and a compassionate, long eye corner. It was clearly smiling, but it gave an indescribable eerie feeling. A breeze passed, making the Everlasting Lamp's blue flame tremble, and the wax tears solidified into blood-amber-like lumps.

So this indeed was a place of the White Lotus Sect.

Chen Yi sneered, "Borrowing the gods and buddhas of others may be understandable, but it truly lacks integrity."

Chu Yiyuan snapped back to reality, his expression darkened a bit. The implication behind this person's words was whether one day they might borrow onto their heads, which was rather impolite...

With a grumble in his heart, he still skillfully put on a smile and clasped his hands in salute, "While traveling, people do not recognize the White Lotus Mother's compassion and are forced to hide. Can you two share your names?"

"My humble surname is..." Chen Yi slowly said, "Qin."

Chu Yiyuan suddenly looked up, his pupils contracted as he looked at Chen Yi in disbelief.

Chen Yi remained impassive and did not look back, still observing the surroundings with much interest, moving with ease.

Before taking action, Chen Yi had roughly understood the situation in Wuchang Prefecture from Wei Wuque. Although many White Lotus Sect people had infiltrated Wuchang Prefecture, they were mainly moving in the undercurrents, scattered across multiple bases, not daring to show up in the open. However, his own identity, being hunted by the court, naturally drew him close to the White Lotus Sect but was undoubtedly a hot potato they dared not take recklessly.

Upon his initial arrival, revealing his true identity prematurely could easily lead to failed cooperation, and he might be used as a tool instead.

Chen Yi was not Dong Gong Ruo Shu and was well aware of being used as a tool through his experiences.

This was the reason why the identity of a Ming'an Divine Sect disciple, a son of the Qin Family, seemed fittingly appropriate, not to mention that Chen Yi now had a blood relation with the Qin Family.

Chu Yiyuan's eyes flickered for a moment, and he emotionlessly said, "Young Master, please come into the inner hall for a discussion."

"Lead the way then."

Listening to his tone, Chu Yiyuan's expression grew colder; his arrogance was overbearing, likely making him seventy percent sure that he was from the Divine Sect.

But... seventy percent sure that he was from the Divine Sect still left thirty percent uncertain. He feared an unexpected situation, not knowing how he might die...

Chu Yiyuan turned around to lead the way without the slightest hesitation. He ordered someone to press a switch, and the door to the secret chamber rose, revealing a long corridor. Chen Yi stepped inside, with Dong Gong Ruoshu following closely behind. A chill wind swept through, sending shivers down to the bone. After walking for a short while, looking ahead, they saw the image of the White Lotus Mother standing in the depths of the shadows.

In front of the white-haired statue were many god altars, not the usual ones enshrined in a White Lotus Sect temple like the Maitreya Buddha, Da Yi Buddha, Lord Lao Zi of the Great Monad, Yuanshi Tianzun, etc., but the altars of all the Saint Heirs of the White Lotus Sect, neatly arranged, like stars surrounding a moon.

Chen Yi noticed that one of the altars was newly carved and replaced later; it was undoubtedly the Saint Heir killed by the Gu Huo Bird. If he remembered correctly, it was... Yang Shen... His gaze fell there, and he pondered for a moment.

"This is the inner hall; we can discuss matters here..."

Before he finished speaking, Chu Yiyuan suddenly sensed a murderous intent behind him, and a fierce look appeared in his eyes as if he had eyes on his back. His body twisted swiftly, delivering a powerful kick, crushing the lights along the way!

The long sword swinging in mid-air collided suddenly with his leg, creating a loud vibrating crash, both their figures retreating almost simultaneously.

Bam!

Chu Yiyuan stumbled to his feet, feeling a numbing pain in his leg as if it had been crippled, his face a mix of shock and fear. Suddenly the thought of the Su Family turning against them surged with coldness, ready to question.

Yet the man glared with fury, speaking first:

"Where did this eagle's claw grandson come from, daring to impersonate a White Lotus Sect member?!"

Chu Yiyuan was momentarily stunned, and the words of questioning were swallowed back.

The man raised his sword, pointing directly at the new tablet, sneering:

"You do play the role well, seamless, but little do you know, the tablets of the White Lotus Sect have their own regulations, unchanged for decades."

Chu Yiyuan suddenly realized the man was questioning due to the change in the altar. The words he swallowed back went around in his stomach before he finally put on a somewhat stiff smile.

"A mistake, a mistake, Young Master Qin, it was a mistake." Chu Yiyuan voluntarily stopped channeling his energy, indicating he meant no harm, and smiled sycophantically, "Our sect's altars do have regulations, but since Yang Shen died due to unexpected events, someone replaced his Saint Heir position. Otherwise, Young Master, look around at other places. Are there any other peculiarities?"

Young Master Qin's face was skeptical, still unconvinced, but Chu Yiyuan remained calm and completely defenseless. The man then sheathed his sword, glanced around carefully, and finally nodded slightly.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com