After the gray-robed middle-aged man finished explaining the route to the Desolate Moon Continent in one breath, Li Yan and Zhao Min were left dumbfounded and speechless.
The journey back, when all was said and done, would require them to pass through a total of eleven minor realms to reach the Wind God Continent. And not all of these realms had cross-realm teleportation formations; they would have to tear through the void and enter chaotic space four times. If you added the final journey from the Wind God Continent to the "Sea of the Northern Abyss," they would have to enter the chaotic flow space a total of five times.
Only the last journey from the Wind God Continent was a bit shorter. The other four trips through chaotic space would add up to about fifteen years, and that was if everything went smoothly.
Finally, the gray-robed middle-aged man added, "Of course, you two fellow daoists will also need to find a Nascent Soul expert to protect you. As for other routes, they are even more cumbersome and dangerous. If you are interested in inquiring, for another eight thousand low-grade spirit stones, I can map out another route for you."
Li Yan, who was usually calm and steady, felt the veins on his forehead throbbing. If not for the fact that the other party had spoken slowly and calmly throughout, and his gaze was steady, he would have thought the gray-robed middle-aged man was playing a joke on him.
'You clearly know we are Golden Core cultivators, you could have just charged us less and told us there's no cross-realm teleportation array. And… and find a Nascent Soul expert for protection? Protect my ass! Another eight thousand? For another route? I'll give you a slap that'll kill you…'
Li Yan had the urge to slap the man across the face. Did he really think he was some rich tycoon? What was the point of asking about so many useless routes?
Li Yan threw a storage pouch onto the desk with an expressionless face. The gray-robed middle-aged man picked it up, scanned it with his Divine Sense, and then put it away with a smile.
"I can give you two a guarantee right here! If you find more reasonable information in the future, you can go directly to any 'Gui Qu Lai Xi' shop in any market, and we will compensate you at five times the price! You two fellow daoists, are there any other questions? We can continue our transaction, and the price is negotiable!"
A faint, wry smile appeared on Li Yan's face. "For this next question, let's see how many spirit stones Fellow Daoist thinks it's worth."
Looking at Li Yan's expression, the gray-robed middle-aged man was a little puzzled, but he still habitually replied, "Please speak, Fellow Daoist!"
"Where is Su Hong now?"
"Lit... Su... Su Hong?" Upon hearing the name Li Yan spoke, the ever-smiling expression of the gray-robed middle-aged man froze. He couldn't help but blurt it out, almost letting the word "Miss" slip out.
"That's right. You can't say you don't know her, can you?" Li Yan smiled at the other party. The other's expression had already made Li Yan feel that his guess was correct. This Su Hong's status in "Gui Qu Lai Xi" was not simple.
If you asked him how he knew, of course, it was from his conversation with Su Hong after he had saved her back then. Su Hong had actually spoken of some of the secret dealings between their shop and the Malevolent Spirit Sect, which was not something an ordinary deacon could know.
Looking at the gray-robed middle-aged man's somewhat surprised expression, the frustration in Li Yan's heart finally eased a little.
After realizing his gaffe, the gray-robed middle-aged man quickly returned to normal, but he was also rapidly thinking about some issues in his heart. 'These two came to ask how to get to the Desolate Moon Continent, and Miss was on a training expedition on the Desolate Moon Continent decades ago. If this man and woman haven't cultivated a youth-retaining cultivation method, then it's very possible that they had some interaction with Miss, in terms of both time and cultivation level. However, the biggest problem here is that Miss was protected by a clan expert when she left the Desolate Moon Continent. How did these two get here? Since they were able to get here, they must also know the way back. Why come here to inquire? This point simply cannot be explained. If they also had a Nascent Soul expert protecting them when they left the Desolate Moon Continent, why would they need to come here to inquire about the way back…'
A few simple, back-and-forth questions had instantly confused the gray-robed middle-aged man. He, who was usually exceptionally astute, could not analyze the origins of the two cultivators opposite him for a moment. He didn't even understand why the other party had spent so many spirit stones to inquire about information. However, as a qualified deacon of a shop, his reaction was also very fast.
"This fellow daoist's question is not easy to price. This already concerns some of our shop's secrets. Do you know Deacon Su, or have you just heard of her name? If you are acquainted, as long as you can produce a token of proof, I can tell you her news for free. How about it?" With that, the gray-robed middle-aged man stared at Li Yan with a burning gaze.
Li Yan did not notice that when he had said Su Hong's name, Zhao Min had turned her head slightly to glance at him.
"Hehehe, I don't have a token. But when you see her, could you tell her if she still remembers an old acquaintance from the wind and snow? The next time I happen to see another branch of your esteemed shop, I might inquire about her again. I hope you can pass my words on to her!"
At the same time, Li Yan scoffed inwardly at the gray-robed middle-aged man's words. 'You want me to take out a token? Do you want me to take out the Crystal Bone Water I snatched from her? If Su Hong sees this item again, she'll probably hate me even more. Besides, the Crystal Bone Water has long been used up!'
After saying this, Li Yan stood up and turned to walk out. Zhao Min also silently stood up and left with him, leaving only the gray-robed middle-aged man, who was lost in thought.
After the two had left the shop, a look of frustration appeared on Li Yan's face. The result of this inquiry was not only far beyond his expectations, but it also gave him a feeling of being homeless and unable to return.
"What does 'an old acquaintance from the wind and snow' mean? Are you very familiar with Su Hong?" Suddenly, Zhao Min's cool voice came from the side. Upon hearing this, Li Yan was stunned, and he secretly thought to himself, "Oh no!"
Just now, he was only thinking that if he could find Su Hong, he might be able to find out more information. At the same time, Li Yan could not let others know that he came from the Desolate Moon Continent. Although the question he had asked might have made the gray-robed middle-aged man suspicious of his origins, with his and Zhao Min's cultivation, the other party would definitely not be able to confirm his speculation. So, how could he make Su Hong remember him without revealing his identity?
He had only interacted with Su Hong twice. What would make Su Hong remember him was the incident where she was being hunted and he "saved" her. He thought that the incident where Su Hong had encountered danger in the wind and snow should have only happened once. If he called himself "an old acquaintance from the wind and snow," and the gray-robed middle-aged man described his appearance, with the two pieces of evidence, Su Hong should be able to guess his identity.
Furthermore, Li Yan had not been sure where Su Hong was now. After that parting with Su Hong, Li Yan had never heard of any dealings between "Gui Qu Lai Xi" and the Four Sects again. Of course, with Li Yan's status at that time, he would not have known about higher-level secrets. He had just wanted to test the other party just now, mainly to see if his and Zhao Min's guess was correct. But seeing the gray-robed middle-aged man's expression, it seemed as if he could actually contact Su Hong, which made Li Yan feel incredible.
Could it be that Su Hong had also left the Desolate Moon Continent and had also happened to come to the Verdant Continent? So, after leaving the room, Li Yan's mind had been repeatedly pondering this matter and digesting the information he had obtained about the Desolate Moon Continent.
Zhao Min's question suddenly brought Li Yan back to his senses. His attitude and actions toward Su Hong at that time were not exactly good. Su Hong certainly wouldn't want others to know the details of that incident.
"Oh… oh oh, of course, I saw her in the Peiyang Market back then. She was very familiar with Fifth Senior Brother and the others. Since we think this shop might be the same as the one on the Desolate Moon Continent, I was just trying to bluff him. I didn't expect that gray-robed man to actually know Su Hong. In that case, our guess is definitely correct! The reason I mentioned the so-called 'old acquaintance from the wind and snow' was just a gimmick, to make that gray-robed man take this matter seriously. Otherwise, he might not have passed the message on. When he describes our appearance to Su Hong, maybe she will be able to remember who we are."
"Junior Brother makes sense!" Zhao Min stared at Li Yan with a half-smile on her face.
"Sen... Senior Sister, don't you think that if Su Hong is really here, and we ask her about the situation, since we both know each other's background, she might be able to help us inquire about some news? 'Gui Qu Lai Xi' can even do business across continents. Maybe they also have a way to send messages back to the Malevolent Spirit Sect. At that time, if Master and the others find out, maybe they will have a better way to bring us back!"
At first, Li Yan was also feeling a little flustered under Zhao Min's gaze and was trying to find an excuse to brush it off, but suddenly, a new idea came to his mind, and he spoke more and more smoothly. On the side, Zhao Min had a half-smile at first, but soon, a strange light flashed in her clear, beautiful eyes, as if she had really forgotten about the Su Hong incident.
"Junior Brother is right. If we can send a message back to the sect, Father will definitely have a way to bring us back. Even if it takes time, at least it will put his and Mother's minds at ease. We have been without news for so many years, they are already not sure if Junior Brother and I are still alive in this world!"
At this moment, Zhao Min actually had the urge to see Su Hong immediately. After thinking for a moment, she said softly, "Should we go back now and ask them if they have a way to send messages to the Desolate Moon Continent?"
Li Yan looked at Zhao Min's rare emotional fluctuation and shook his head. "Senior Sister, we are only guessing about this matter. It's not appropriate to be hasty. Even if a message can be sent back to the Desolate Moon Continent, the price is probably not something you and I can afford. If we go back and ask that gray-robed cultivator now, he will just ask for an exorbitant price. The key is, after they take our spirit stones and tell us the message has been sent, how do we know if it's true or false? I think if we can really find Su Hong and finally confirm that 'Gui Qu Lai Xi' has cross-realm capabilities, she, knowing our identities, probably won't just make things up."
Listening to Li Yan's explanation, the strange light in Zhao Min's eyes slowly faded, and she also agreed with Li Yan's suggestion.
"Senior Sister, now that we have arrived on the Verdant Continent, the first thing is to solve the hidden danger of the 'Sacred Demon Palace.' We can't be too hasty with the next things. What we need to do now is to inquire about news while increasing our own strength."
As Li Yan said this, the words that True Lord Qianchong had secretly transmitted to him once again appeared in his mind. "I should have given you a few more supreme-grade spirit stones. That would have been enough for your cross-realm teleportation. But unfortunately, as you felt before, your strength is too weak. If I gave you supreme-grade spirit stones, you would not be able to collect them. You would die upon touching them. After arriving on the Verdant Continent, you can only rely on yourselves."
Crossing realms was not something that a cultivator below the Nascent Soul realm could do on their own. Li Yan knew that what he was doing now was far beyond their capabilities.
"Now we must use every opportunity we can to make ourselves stronger. The next step is the Giant Wood Clan's 'Wood Essence Pool'!"
This was also the plan that Li Yan and Zhao Min had made on the Tianlan Prairie. Otherwise, just based on A Guxi and his people's pleas, Li Yan would have most likely rejected Zhao Min's idea. Being a good person for no reason and making an enemy of a clan would not benefit him in the slightest. With Li Yan's personality, he was naturally unwilling to take such a risk without any benefit.