"Good! Daoist friend, you may now remove your disguise and state your name and background."
The man in the bamboo hat was led into the courtyard, where they found no other "Shenxiao Dao Sect" members had returned.
Li Yunjing went straight back to his room, allowing the man in the bamboo hat to enter, and began questioning him.
"I am Cong Rujin, an elder of the Cong Family Castle, three thousand miles north of the ’Myriad Swords City’. This time, I have concealed my tracks to purchase a ’Foundation Establishment Pill’."
As he spoke, the man in the bamboo hat removed it, dissipating the mana around him and revealing his true form.
Faced with someone like Li Yunjing, he had already chosen to submit.
There was no way he could afford to provoke someone like Li Yunjing.
At this moment, the person standing before Li Yunjing was an elderly man with a head full of white hair. His eyes were cloudy, and his spirit seemed to be waning, indicating he was indeed on a downward slope.
If Cong Rujin could not ascend to the Foundation Establishment Realm, he would truly have no hope. Perhaps in the next ten to twenty years, he would grow old and die, turning into a handful of yellow earth.
Cong Rujin’s cultivation was not low; he was at the Great Perfection of the Qi Cultivation Realm.
However, the aura of decay surrounding him made it impossible for Cong Rujin to ascend to the Foundation Establishment Realm through his own strength.
To ascend from the Qi Cultivation Realm to the Foundation Establishment Realm, one must achieve Perfection in Essence, Qi, and Spirit!
All three must be at their peak!
Clearly, this person had failed and could only rely on external aids like the "Foundation Establishment Pill."
"Hmm. I am aware of your background now. I will have the people of the ’Myriad Swords Sect’ investigate this later!"
Li Yunjing’s expression remained indifferent, and he continued: "You understand what I want. Speak."
"Alright! Daoist Li, please wait a moment. I will draw you a map and mark the information there!"
Without hesitation, Cong Rujin knew exactly what Li Yunjing wanted.
He glanced around Li Yunjing’s room, then went straight to the desk, sat down, and began to draw on a blank sheet of paper.
Li Yunjing remained motionless, not going over to see.
He sat in the living room, brewed a pot of tea, and leisurely drank it, seeming to wait for Cong Rujin to make the treasure map!
This scene greatly shocked Cong Rujin!
Cong Rujin had expected that with a secret this big, this Young Master would get up and come over to the desk, right?
Surely Li Yunjing would show some level of importance!
At the very least, he should be monitoring and threatening him in every way possible, according to common sense.
The result was quite the opposite!
After giving a command, Young Master Li Yunjing did not move, seemingly unconcerned whether the treasure map was genuine or not!
Not a single question asked, no reminders, no threats, and certainly no promises!
There were only two reasons for this behavior!
First, Li Yunjing might be a fool.
Second, Li Yunjing was extremely confident and believed he could control him at any moment.
If he provided a fake map, Cong Rujin would surely face dire consequences!
Even if he successfully reached the Foundation Establishment Realm!
Li Yunjing would still find a way to kill him!
Between the two scenarios, Cong Rujin leaned towards Li Yunjing being the latter!
This made Cong Rujin entirely abandon any deceitful thoughts, drawing everything he knew on the paper.
He even added many annotations, noting down all the information he knew.
Half an hour later, Cong Rujin placed the brush on the brush rack, blew on the paper, and brought the treasure map to Li Yunjing, placing it on the tea table for him to review.
Looking at the map, Li Yunjing was slightly stunned, then suddenly enlightened.
He closely examined it for a quarter of an hour, memorizing all the content before placing the annotated treasure map into his "Hundred Treasures Pouch."
"Very good! I hope you do not disappoint me."
Only then did Li Yunjing gesture for Cong Rujin to sit. Seeing Cong Rujin’s nervousness, he personally poured a cup of tea for him.
Cong Rujin seemed apprehensive and simply sat opposite Li Yunjing without touching the steaming cup of tea.
Li Yunjing did not mind Cong Rujin’s caution, pretending he saw nothing.
He took a sip of tea and said, "Rest assured, I won’t resort to murder to silence anyone! But I do hope this matter stays between us."
"I understand! Young Master Li, you can rest assured, I will keep it confidential! If I break my oath, may the heavens strike me down, and I shall have no burial place!"
Feeling relieved, Cong Rujin hurriedly swore an oath.
Cultivators generally avoid making oaths, as cultivation is profound and mysterious, and reckless words can indeed come true!
For Cong Rujin to speak showed considerable sincerity.
"Hmm! I don’t care about anything else! If, before I get to this place, it is different from your description, prepare funerals for everyone in your Cong Family Castle!"
Li Yunjing nonchalantly waved his hand, continuing to issue threats.
These were truly just threats; he had no power to wipe out an entire family!
Cong Family Castle had a Qi Cultivation Realm elder like Cong Rujin, so it was likely that his clan had Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators as clan leaders!
Li Yunjing could only rely on his status and his displayed aura to intimidate the other party!
As long as the secret remained until Cong Rujin made it to Foundation Establishment, Li Yunjing would have time to explore the treasure.
Li Yunjing truly had no intention of making Cong Rujin keep the secret for life.
In this world, who but the dead could keep secrets forever?
Are oaths really effective?
Some people, when pushed to the limit, would break their oaths without fear of repercussions. What could happen then?
Retribution wouldn’t be immediate!
When disaster finally struck, death would simply be the end!
"I understand! I understand! Young Master Li, you can trust that I will say nothing!"
Instead of being angered by Li Yunjing’s threats, Cong Rujin felt pleased.
This indicated that Li Yunjing truly had no intention of killing him to silence the matter!