Lai Li’an did not answer; he merely looked at Zhao Qian quietly.

Seeing the other party’s cold demeanor, Zhao Qian’s smile stiffened slightly.

Having cultivated for so many years, if he hadn’t seen ten thousand cultivators, he had seen at least eight thousand. But this was the first time he had ever encountered someone like the man in front of him.

He didn’t speak, didn’t smile, wasn’t angry, and wasn’t afraid.

He just stood there like a stone. The uneasy feeling in Zhao Qian’s heart grew stronger and stronger.

He subconsciously released a wisp of Spiritual Sense, wanting to probe Lai Li’an’s background.

The moment his Spiritual Sense touched Lai Li’an’s body, Zhao Qian felt an invisible resistance.

Zhao Qian’s pupils shrank slightly.

A Body-Refining Cultivator?

He examined Lai Li’an once again.

Wearing a gray robe and possessing a handsome appearance, he looked to be in his early thirties with absolutely nothing special about him.

Zhao Qian’s heart sank. Body-Refining Cultivators were anomalies in the Cultivation World.

The path of body refining was incredibly arduous, hundreds or thousands of times more difficult than ordinary Qi cultivation. However, once one achieved some success in it, cultivators of the same realm were almost incapable of contending with them.

The physical strength of a Peak Foundation Establishment Body-Refining Cultivator was probably no less than that of an ordinary Late Golden Core cultivator.

Zhao Qian’s fingers turned slightly cold.

“Fellow Daoist,” Zhao Qian’s tone was a bit more polite than before. “To tell you the truth, my two companions and I came here this time to look for something.”

Lai Li’an still did not speak.

Zhao Qian swallowed hard and continued, “That thing is deep within this bamboo forest. It is a Spiritual Herb that is about to mature. I have no intention of fighting with you, fellow Daoist; I only want to ask you to do us a favor and not interfere in this matter. In return, I can gift you some Spirit Stones and Pills.”

Hearing this, the other two became a bit unsettled. After all, they had expended great effort to obtain this intelligence, so the herb rightfully belonged to them. Now, having to give away their own resources to the other party made them truly displeased; at worst, they could just fight it out.

However, the two merely exchanged a glance and didn’t say much.

Lai Li’an looked at Zhao Qian, his mind calculating rapidly.

A Spiritual Herb? Was this the reason these three people appeared in Bluestone Town in the dead of night?

After a moment of silence, Lai Li’an’s gaze fell on Zhao Qian’s face, and he slowly spoke.

“This Venerable has no interest in the Spiritual Herb.”

Zhao Qian breathed a sigh of relief, but Lai Li’an’s next words made his heart leap into his throat again.

“However,” Lai Li’an said in a mild tone, “this Venerable is somewhat interested in the three of you.”

The expressions of the three suddenly changed drastically. Their hands simultaneously gripped the Magic Tools at their waists, and Spiritual Power began to flow through their bodies, ready to strike at any moment.

Looking at their nervous demeanor, the corners of Lai Li’an’s mouth curled up into a very faint arc.

“No need to be nervous,” he said. “This Venerable was just making a casual remark.”

Zhao Qian’s face turned green and white by turns. He realized he couldn’t see through this person at all.

Every word this person said seemed to be mocking them.

But he didn’t dare to fall out with him.

What if, by any chance, this person was actually a ruthless character playing the pig to eat the tiger?

Zhao Qian took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his heart, and forced out a smile.

“You must be joking, fellow Daoist.”

Lai Li’an didn’t reply; he turned around and walked towards the deeper parts of the bamboo forest.

Su Wan’er hastily followed.

The two of them, one after the other, disappeared into the depths of the bamboo forest.

Zhao Qian stood where he was, watching Lai Li’an’s back. The smile on his face faded little by little, replaced by a gloomy expression.

“Old Zhao,” Liu Yi lowered his voice, “what’s this guy’s background? He’s way too arrogant!”

Zhao Qian did not speak.

His gaze remained fixed on the direction where Lai Li’an had disappeared, his brows tightly furrowed.

“This person is not simple,” Zhao Qian said slowly. “Later, when the Spiritual Herb matures, if he tries to snatch it…”

Liu Yi snorted coldly. “Are the three of us really afraid of just him? He’s merely at Peak Foundation Establishment. Even if he is a Body-Refining Cultivator, we still have Magic Tools in our hands.”

Zhao Qian shook his head.

“You don’t understand.”

He turned around and looked at Liu Yi and Zhou Ping, his voice kept very low.

“I can’t see through him.”

Liu Yi was taken aback. “You can’t see through him? Isn’t he at Peak Foundation Establishment?”

“His Cultivation Base is Peak Foundation Establishment, yes,” Zhao Qian’s gaze was solemn, “but I have this feeling that his true strength is far beyond Peak Foundation Establishment.”

Liu Yi and Zhou Ping exchanged a glance, both seeing the unease in each other’s eyes.

“Then… what do we do?” Zhou Ping asked.

Zhao Qian was silent for a moment before gritting his teeth.

“We must get our hands on the Spiritual Herb; it is our hope.” A ruthless glint flashed through his eyes. “But if that person really makes a move, don’t fight him head-on. We’ll fall back and reconsider our plan.”

Liu Yi and Zhou Ping nodded.

The three sat back down in the stone pavilion, each taking out their Magic Tools, silently regulating their breathing as they waited for the Spiritual Herb to mature.

Deep in the bamboo forest, the wind blew through the bamboo leaves, making a rustling sound.

By the time Lai Li’an led Su Wan’er out of the bamboo forest, it was almost noon.

Su Wan’er followed behind Lai Li’an with her head bowed, her heart full of confusion.

Senior had clearly said he had no interest in the Spiritual Herb, so why did he purposely walk deep into the bamboo forest just to show his face in front of those three cultivators?

And saying he had a bit of interest in those three… what did that mean? Could it be that Senior had a preference for men?

Su Wan’er’s face flushed red, and she shook her head. She sneaked a glance at Lai Li’an’s back and finally couldn’t help but speak up.

“Senior.”

“Hmm?”

“This junior has something she doesn’t understand.”

Lai Li’an didn’t stop walking, his tone indifferent: “Speak.”

“Senior, just now…” Su Wan’er carefully weighed her words. “Why did you purposely make a trip to that bamboo forest? You clearly have no interest in the Spiritual Herb, and those three cultivators aren’t worth you making a move. This junior is dull and truly cannot figure out Senior’s intentions.”

“What do you think?” Lai Li’an asked in return.

Su Wan’er froze for a moment, then began to think seriously.

Senior was testing her. She bit her lip and tried to analyze it: “Senior… were you probing those three people’s backgrounds? Or… did Senior already know what was in this bamboo forest, and that’s why you specifically made this trip?”

Lai Li’an didn’t answer. He merely nodded slightly, as if to say, “Continue.”

Encouraged, Su Wan’er continued her train of thought: “Those three sneakily appeared in Bluestone Town, and then searched for Spiritual Herbs out here in this desolate bamboo forest. Their behavior is indeed suspicious. Did Senior want to confirm whether they were from the Blood Lotus Sect?”

A thought flashed through Lai Li’an’s mind.

The Blood Lotus Sect? He actually hadn’t thought that far ahead.

However, now that Su Wan’er mentioned it, he suddenly felt it made a lot of sense.

But on second thought, if those three really were from the Blood Lotus Sect, there was no reason for them not to recognize Su Wan’er.

Yet when those three saw Su Wan’er, their reactions were completely normal without any anomalies, which meant they weren’t from the Blood Lotus Sect.

Lai Li’an came to a conclusion in his heart.

However, he didn’t show it. His face remained expressionless as he said lightly:

“Some things do not need to be spelled out.”

Su Wan’er suddenly understood. Senior meant for her to comprehend it herself, rather than asking about everything.

“This junior spoke out of turn.” Su Wan’er lowered her head and didn’t ask any further questions.