Chapter 252: Chapter 248: "Loose Cultivator Xin Mian
From her conversation with Yu Miaomiao, Song Ciwan learned that the news of Chi Hua Fairy’s disappearance had not only spread throughout Pinglan City but had also sparked a massive search effort.
The news had started spreading in the early afternoon. It was late in the afternoon when Song Ciwan overheard the Stewards discussing it in the Washing Room. By the time she got off work and came to Sanpo Street, only a couple of hours had passed.
In this Mythical Era, the common folk traveled by foot and communicated by shouting. A letter sent from the south of the city might take several days to reach the north. The spread of any information was incredibly difficult.
But cultivators, when they traveled, had Divine Movement Talismans, Magical Artifacts, or the ability to fly. They could also use Puppet Carriages. Some masters could even perform the Void Escape Step, covering thousands of miles in an instant...
They also had Communication Talismans, Memory Stones, Lingxi Jades, and all sorts of treasures for sending messages. Song Ciwan had learned about and witnessed some of these recently, but there were surely many more wondrous items she had never even heard of.
The information barrier was immense. It was as if, despite living in the same world, they were in two completely different ones.
Many of the faster cultivators had already left the city. People like Yu Miaomiao, who were still milling about, calculating which Talismans and supplies to buy from the shops and what preparations to make before leaving... they were actually considered the slower ones.
Yu Miaomiao asked Song Ciwan if she was also planning to leave the city. Song Ciwan asked in return, "Daoist Yu, many people are heading out of the city. Does this mean everyone is certain that Chi Hua Fairy is trapped somewhere outside, and not still within the city walls?"
Yu Miaomiao glanced from side to side, then leaned closer to Song Ciwan and whispered, "Daoist Xin, the news that Chi Hua Fairy is outside the city came from Shanxing Tower. Right now, everyone is leaning toward the theory that she’s actually trapped in a Secret Realm."
At this, Yu Miaomiao extended an enthusiastic invitation. "What do you say? Daoist Xin, would you like to leave the city with us? We’ll all bring our own Communication Talismans. After we leave the city, we can split up to search. If anyone finds a clue, they can send out a talisman to notify the others. There’s strength in numbers. We’ll share information and help each other out."
It turned out that although Yu Miaomiao was gathering supplies on Sanpo Street alone, she had already made plans with several companions to leave the city together and look out for one another.
Among Yu Miaomiao’s companions were two of her sisters from the Yu Family and, surprisingly, Jiao Zuo of the Lantern Hanging Department!
Yu Miaomiao added, "Daoist Xin, if you join us, Brother Jiao will be thrilled! He’s been mentioning you a lot lately. He really regrets not exchanging Communication Talismans with you back then. He even said he wants to invite you for drinks to discuss the Dao and pick up where you two left off."
Communication Talismans required a cultivator to leave their unique spiritual imprint on the talisman. They would then distribute these imprinted talismans to those they wished to contact. This way, when a talisman was released, it could accurately find the intended recipient.
Otherwise, without an imprint, the talisman would just fly about aimlessly. How would it ever find the person it was meant for?
It was precisely because of this imprint that Song Ciwan had never created her own personal Communication Talismans.
She was reluctant to give others something that carried her personal aura. No matter how common Communication Talismans were in the Cultivation Realm, Song Ciwan was always wary of them.
Even with Xie Yunxiang, whom Song Ciwan knew so well, the two of them had never exchanged Communication Talismans.
Interestingly, while Xie Yunxiang appeared goofy and garrulous on the surface, he was actually a very perceptive and socially adept person.
Their friendship was strong, but because of this, he was all the more able to sense a kind of detachment deep within Song Ciwan’s character.
Gentle yet distant. Though she was friendly with people, she fundamentally maintained a solitary boundary. Xie Yunxiang sensed this boundary, so he never asked questions like, "Brother Xin, where do you live?" nor did he ever take the initiative to suggest they exchange Communication Talismans.
As a result, even now, the connection between Song Ciwan and Xie Yunxiang was purely one-sided.
If Song Ciwan wanted to see Xie Yunxiang, she would go to Wangjiang Cave Mansion to find him. If she found him, it was fate, and they would meet. If not, so be it; she wouldn’t force it.
But now, Yu Miaomiao was saying, "Brother Xin, why don’t you give me a few of your Communication Talismans, and I’ll give you some of mine? I also have some of Brother Jiao’s talismans here. I can give you a few of those too. When Brother Jiao can get in touch with you, he’ll be overjoyed."
As she spoke, she swiped a hand across the exquisitely embroidered cloud-patterned Storage Pouch at her waist, and several Communication Talismans instantly appeared in her hand.
Yu Miaomiao held out the talismans to give to Song Ciwan, who hadn’t even had a chance to interject with a refusal.
Song Ciwan said helplessly, "Daoist Yu, I haven’t crafted my own Communication Talismans. I’m afraid I must decline your kind offer."
Yu Miaomiao’s eyes widened. For a moment, the atmosphere became truly awkward.
Song Ciwan, however, wasn’t embarrassed. She said, "Daoist Yu, as for leaving the city, I still need to consider it carefully. Thank you for the information. If fate allows, we shall meet again outside the city."
After speaking, she clasped her hands in a salute to Yu Miaomiao and turned to leave.
Yu Miaomiao was still a bit stunned even after Song Ciwan had walked some distance away.
After a long moment, she stamped her foot and sent a message back to her family. "Aunt Lian, I ran into that Xin Mian today. But he’s a total block of wood, completely impervious to persuasion! He wouldn’t even give me the time of day after I mentioned Brother Jiao. I’m afraid recruiting him is going to be very difficult."
So, although it was a chance encounter, Yu Miaomiao had actually intended to recruit Song Ciwan.
In fact, it wasn’t just Yu Miaomiao; Xie Yunxiang was facing the same problem.
Although Xin Mian, Song Ciwan’s alter ego, had always tried to avoid attention, she wasn’t living in a vacuum, after all. As long as one walked this world, one would inevitably leave traces behind.
Especially in the Inverted Deceit Realm, when Song Ciwan debated Gao Xiaolang and saved Jiao Zuo, her performance had been quite conspicuous.
Even though she had kept a low profile afterward, the other cultivators in the Deceitful Realm had still deeply remembered the name "Xin Mian."
After leaving the Deceitful Realm, some cultivators with powerful backgrounds would naturally want to investigate: ’Where did this Xin Mian come from? What exactly is his identity and background? What else has he done? Is he a Loose Cultivator? Is there any possibility of recruiting him?’
Xie Yunchong of the Xie Family found out that Xin Mian was indeed a Loose Cultivator!
And most importantly, he had entered Illusory Nether City using a spot he had obtained through Xie Yunxiang.
So Xie Yunxiang and Xin Mian had known each other for a long time!
Because of this, Xie Yunchong had repeatedly questioned Xie Yunxiang about Xin Mian, making it clear that he wanted to recruit Xin Mian as a Guest for the Xie Family.
Xie Yunxiang had refused many times, which had gradually caused some friction to develop between him and Xie Yunchong.
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