Meng Zhang naturally wouldn't reveal Jue Ying's true identity and only stated that she was one of his friends. Xu Chengxian also called over the middle-aged man and introduced him to Meng Zhang. This middle-aged man was named Lin Bailin, a Cultivator from Forest Spring Watch. Interestingly, he was related to Forest Mountain School's Foundation Building Cultivator, Lin Shenpo, as they were from the same clan.
Meng Zhang's mind stirred slightly. Last time during Lin Shenpo's Foundation Building Dharma Meeting, Forest Mountain School had been punished by Twin Success Valley. Unexpectedly, Forest Mountain School had dared to maintain a close relationship with Forest Spring Watch.
Xu Chengxian expressed gratitude to Meng Zhang and praised his formidable cultivation base for extending help. They exchanged some customary flattering remarks before getting into the main topic.
According to Xu Chengxian, this caravan belonged to Forest Mountain School, and he was responsible for escorting it. They coincidentally met Lin Bailin on the way and decided to travel together.
Unexpectedly, they encountered a siege from demonic beasts while passing through here. If it weren't for the assistance of Meng Zhang and Jue Ying, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Meng Zhang knew that Xu Chengxian was exaggerating his and Jue Ying's role. Even if they hadn't intervened, the group of demonic beasts might not have posed a serious threat to the caravan. With Xu Chengxian and Lin Bailin's hidden abilities, at most, the caravan would have incurred some additional costs to repel the poisonous sand lizards.
In the midst of the chaotic battle, Meng Zhang used his Deception Breaking Eye to observe the cargo being transported by the caravan. Although the tightly wrapped goods on the backs of the ten humped sand lizard beasts couldn't escape his divine ability, Meng Zhang could tell that the cargo consisted of a substantial amount of white hidden earth.
What secrets lay behind the white hidden earth? Flying Swan Sect had been purchasing large quantities of it, and Twin Success Valley had secretly hoarded it through Taiyi Sect while keeping it hidden from Flying Swan Sect. Now, Meng Zhang stumbled upon a Forest Mountain School caravan secretly transporting white hidden earth, suggesting that the owners of this batch were likely from Forest Spring Watch.
Aware of having uncovered this secret, Meng Zhang didn't want to linger any longer. After all, his main purpose in intervening was to repay Xu Chengxian's favor.
Meng Zhang exchanged a few words with Xu Chengxian and stated that he had urgent matters to attend to and needed to leave. Xu Chengxian tried to persuade Meng Zhang, offering compensation for his loss of a magic tool during the battle and a share of the spoils obtained from killing the poisonous sand lizards. Especially for killing the Second Rank poisonous sand lizard, Meng Zhang and Jue Ying had contributed greatly.
Meng Zhang repeatedly declined, claiming his strength was insignificant and he didn't possess a storage magic tool large enough to hold the corpses of the poisonous sand lizards.
Seeing that Meng Zhang was determined to leave, Xu Chengxian regretfully accepted his decision and promised to visit him personally in the future to express gratitude for his assistance. As for the corpses of the poisonous sand lizards, Xu Chengxian assured Meng Zhang that he wouldn't forget him and Jue Ying.
After bidding farewell, Meng Zhang and Jue Ying mounted the black crane and hurriedly left the area.
As they watched the figure of the black crane disappear into the distance, Xu Chengxian's previous smile vanished from his face, replaced by a somewhat gloomy expression.
"Bailin, did they discover the cargo of the caravan?" Xu Chengxian asked.
Lin Bailin shook his head, "I don't know. Even if they did, with their insights, they wouldn't understand the purpose and secret of white hidden earth."
"For safety's sake, we should have kept them here forever. But I'm getting old, and my heart has softened," Xu Chengxian sighed.
"It's not that you've become soft-hearted but rather that you weren't sure you could keep them here," Lin Bailin joked.
"That Taiyi Sect Sect Master named Meng Zhang is quite capable, and he definitely has hidden cards up his sleeve. As for that girl named Jue Ying, I can't see through her either," Lin Bailin said with some frustration.
"Whether it's soft-heartedness or uncertainty, the fact remains that they helped us when we needed it. If we turn our backs on them and repay kindness with enmity, I wouldn't be able to face myself," Xu Chengxian said with a bitter smile.
"So, you're just this mediocre, barely managing to be the Sect Master of Forest Mountain School. You lack ambition and the qualities of a leader," Lin Bailin teased.
"A mediocre old man like me doesn't have the qualifications to be a leader, let alone a great conqueror," Xu Chengxian retorted with a laugh.
As Xu Chengxian and Lin Bailin bantered back and forth, they brushed aside the matter.
Once Meng Zhang and Jue Ying had flown far away on the black crane, Meng Zhang felt a sense of relief.
During his conversation with Xu Chengxian, he instinctively used his talent, Divine Ability Mind Reading. Although Xu Chengxian and Lin Bailin's cultivation bases were above his, he couldn't read their minds. However, he sensed a sudden malevolence directed at him from Xu Chengxian's mind.
The malevolence came swiftly and disappeared just as quickly, as if Xu Chengxian had reconsidered his intention.
Meng Zhang couldn't afford to be complacent. He knew that once he uncovered Xu Chengxian and his group's secret of smuggling white hidden earth, they probably considered killing them to silence the witnesses.
For some unknown reason, maybe due to a pang of conscience or maybe due to not being certain of dealing with Meng Zhang and Jue Ying, Xu Chengxian later abandoned the idea of killing them.
Meng Zhang didn't dare linger there any longer, nor did he dare challenge Xu Chengxian and his companions' moral boundaries. Therefore, he hastily said his goodbyes and left with Jue Ying.
Of course, if they were to engage in a full confrontation, Xu Chengxian's side didn't have much confidence in keeping Meng Zhang and Jue Ying behind. With nearly all the cultivators in the caravan injured, especially some who were poisoned by the venom of the poisonous sand lizards, they needed immediate treatment to avoid any lasting effects.
With so many injured people, even if their numbers were greater, provoking Meng Zhang to create a scene of carnage wouldn't be difficult.
After flying far away on the black crane, Meng Zhang asked Jue Ying, "Jue Ying, you're well-informed about the black market and know many secrets. Do you know why Flying Swan Sect has been purchasing large amounts of white hidden earth? It can't just be for refining purposes; they shouldn't need so much for that."
Jue Ying shook her head, "Flying Swan Sect, as the ruler of the Endless Sea of Sand, holds many secrets that are unknown to outsiders. As well-informed as the black market may be, they can't penetrate the upper echelons of Flying Swan Sect."
"The exact reason behind Flying Swan Sect's continuous purchase of white hidden earth is unknown to outsiders. Some cultivators speculate that it might be for some Dual Cultivation techniques practiced in Flying Swan Sect, which require white hidden earth. But whether this is true or not remains unclear," Jue Ying replied.
Meng Zhang felt somewhat disappointed by her answer. If Jue Ying didn't know the secret behind white hidden earth, then he had no way of knowing either.
Meng Zhang decided to keep the secret of Xu Chengxian's smuggling of white hidden earth deep within his heart, refraining from revealing it to anyone.
He knew that Taiyi Sect couldn't afford to provoke powerful enemies like Forest Mountain School and Forest Spring Watch.
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