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"Fine, we'll wait for him."

Since they weren't in a hurry, Wen Qiao and Wen Tuti found a place to sit down, pulling out spirit fruits to munch on.

Just as they sat down, someone emerged from the cave Wen Tuti had dug earlier. A closer look revealed it was Yan Chuyao.

Yan Chuyao rushed over, both surprised and delighted, bombarding them with questions: "Have you been staying in Xuanyin City all this time? Did you see Brother Leng and the others?"

Wen Tuti crunched on her spirit fruit and shot back, "Haven't seen them!"

Yan Chuyao's face fell immediately; she sat down dejectedly, letting out a wistful sigh.

Wen Qiao and Wen Tuti ignored her, contentedly chewing on their spirit fruits and occasionally tossing some to the Ghost Cultivators standing guard nearby. Soon, the Ghost Cultivators joined them, lining up to join them, sitting in a row and nibbling on the fruits.

Yan Chuyao: "..."

As dusk fell, Wu Xiongan finally returned.

Seeing Wen Tuti and the others, he was taken aback. Wiping blood from his blade, he asked, "What brings you here? Did something happen in Xuanyin City?"

Yan Chuyao also looked at them nervously.

Wen Tuti cut to the chase. "We’re planning to set off for the Undying Sea in ten days."

"You found a Ghost Cloud Ship?" Wu Xiongan asked in surprise. Though he hadn’t entered Xuanyin City, Wu Jingping often visited, so he was well-informed about the happenings there. He knew Wen Qiao and the others had stayed in Xuanyin City because Ghost Cloud Ships were rare finds.

"Yeah, we found one."

Wu Xiongan grunted, then gave the pair a suspicious once-over. "You’re not thinking of dragging me along to the Undying Sea, are you?"

"Of course," Wen Tuti said without hesitation. "We’re honoring you. Did you really think you’d get to go otherwise?"

"Thanks, but I’d rather not."

Wu Xiongan wasn't about to throw his life away. From the Ghost Cultivators, he’d heard plenty about the Undying Sea, and he had no intention of venturing into such a notorious danger zone. Even if he could never return to the Human Cultivator continent, he’d rather die of old age in peace in the Netherworld.

One could say he had no spine.

But this was the mindset of all cultivators in the Scarlet Rock Forest. The harsh environment there had made them cherish their lives—who would willingly ask to get killed? Though the Netherworld wasn’t exactly friendly to Human Cultivators, it wasn’t necessarily worse than the Scarlet Rock Forest. The blood rain there could be even more terrifying than Yin energy. At least Yin energy could be expelled from the body, but prolonged exposure to the crimson rain could corrode flesh and bones into a puddle of gore.

Wen Tuti was displeased. "Aren’t you my underling? How dare you defy your boss’s orders? Asking for a beating?"

Had it been so long since she’d thrashed him that he’d grown bold again?

Wen Tuti flexed her fingers, measuring Wu Xiongan up, ready to teach him another lesson.

Seeing her serious expression, Wu Xiongan could only heave a resigned sigh and say, "Fine, I’ll go! But what about this place while I’m gone?"

He’d been doing well here, gathering several hundred Human Cultivators. When space ran out, he’d even gotten Ning Yuzhou to set up more formations to hide them.

Wen Tuti waved it off. "Don’t worry. With the formations in place, as long as they don’t do anything stupid, the Ghost Cultivators won’t find them. Just have a few Yuanzong stage cultivators manage things."

The nearby Ghost Cultivators quickly scrambled to swear fealty. "Boss, don’t worry. Even if you’re not here, we’ll guard this place for you."

Wen Tuti was pleased and rewarded them with a bottle of Yin Gathering Pills.

The Ghost Cultivators, now even more loyal, knew the benefits of being under a demon cultivator’s control were substantial—other Ghost Cultivators didn’t get Yin Gathering Pills, after all.

When full darkness settled, all the Human Cultivators who had been out had gathered back in the cave.

The surrounding cliffs had been hollowed out by these Human Cultivators, carved into livable caves. Hidden by formations, there was no worry of discovery by the Ghost Cultivators of Xuanyin City. This group had basically made this place into a temporary settlement.

They were extremely grateful to Ning Yuzhou and his companions for providing them with a safe haven.

Regardless of their past occupations, temperaments, or cultivation levels, they were now all Human Cultivators stuck in the Underworld. As fellow cultivators, they were willing to help each other without reservation, standing together to overcome the current hardships.

Wen Tuti briefly mentioned their upcoming departure to the Undying Sea and selected a few Yuanzong stage cultivators to temporarily manage the place. She didn’t forget to remind them, "Even if we’re not here, you must continue searching for Yin-attributed spirit herbs. Otherwise, there’ll be no Yin Gathering Pills. Understood?"

"Don’t worry, Boss. We know," they replied.

Wen Qiao sat to the side, cradling her long whip, watching Wen Tuti take charge, feeling a sense of pride.

Her little one had grown up.

Just then, Yan Chuyao came up to her and whispered, "Miss Wen, could you take me to the Undying Sea too?"

Wen Qiao turned to her, puzzled. "Haven’t you heard how dangerous the Undying Sea is? Why do you want to go?"

"I have," Yan Chuyao whined. "But what else can I do? I need to find Brother Leng! The Fallen Dragon is in the Undying Sea, so Brother Leng will definitely go there. That’s the only place I can find him."

By now, her eyes were red, and she couldn’t help but lower her head to wipe away tears.

In her heart, she was certain Brother Leng was with that woman Wen Yi. If she didn’t hurry to find him, Wen Yi would soon steal him away.

After staring at her for a moment, Wen Qiao said, "We don't have room. I can’t take you. Even if I could, I wouldn’t. We’re going to find the Fallen Dragon, not to play nanny."

Yan Chuyao was stunned silent.

——

After resting in the cave overnight, Wen Qiao and Wen Tuti got ready to go back to the city at dawn.

Wu Xiongan decided to wait until departure day to enter the city. He felt that in Xuanyin City, he had to be too careful and couldn’t move freely, which made him reluctant to go in.

Wen Qiao didn’t press him, leaving the choice to him.