Li Ban's heart stirred.
He still remembered how, back at the Myriad Ancient Pagoda, Li Yuan had mentioned that Wan Chengming and Du An were researching Mutated Elements.
That had caused a massive uproar at the time.
It was also said that the Nihility State, which had now become a perilous wasteland, ended up that way because of those Mutated Elements.
"Could Xiao Suo be the one behind what happened in the Nihility State?"
Zhu Yao's movements paused slightly, as if she had recalled an unpleasant memory.
"No," she said softly. "The Nihility State fell to ruin because two Wizard Lords got into a dispute. The root cause, however, was indeed a special Mutated Element. Our Wizard Lord and the Imperial Dynasty's Wizard Lord are still arguing over it; otherwise, the Nihility State wouldn't have remained unrestored until now."
Did that mean the Wizard Lords could simply restore the destroyed Nihility State as long as they put aside their dispute?
Then, was the diversion of the River of Helplessness also done just as casually?
While they were talking, their carriage had already started moving.
Priest Zhu Yao looked through the window and instructed the guards outside, "Have Ming Zhengxuan come over."
The guard complied, hurrying toward the rear carriages to summon Ming Zhengxuan.
Ming Zhengxuan had been following on horseback. Hearing that Priest Yao had summoned him, he immediately tensed up.
Li Ban had only just become a Priest, so he lacked the lofty, disdainful aura that Priest Yao possessed.
Because of that, while Ming Zhengxuan was respectful and cautious when interacting with Li Ban, his calves didn't twitch in terror.
Unlike now, where just knowing Priest Yao wanted to see him forced him to try his hardest to suppress his inner panic.
Arriving before Priest Yao's spacious carriage, Ming Zhengxuan dismounted and walked alongside it.
Then, he heard the driver tell him to go inside.
Pressing one hand against the carriage frame, he hopped onto the platform and respectfully called out, "Lord Priest," before pushing the door open and entering.
Upon entering, he saw Priest Yao sitting alone inside.
Ming Zhengxuan found this slightly odd. He remembered Li Ban boarding Priest Yao's carriage before they departed. Why wasn't he here now?
"Drink," Zhu Yao suddenly said, without any preamble.
Ming Zhengxuan hadn't dared to look up at her, but hearing this, he raised his head in surprise. Strikingly, a cup of water was already hovering right in front of him.
The liquid inside was crystal clear, giving off a refreshing aura just from proximity.
Ming Zhengxuan found it a bit strange, but he didn't dare disobey or delay Priest Yao's command. He quickly grabbed the cup and downed it in one gulp.
As the water hit his stomach, Ming Zhengxuan instantly felt a soothing sensation, like parched earth receiving sweet rain.
After the clear, sweet water slid down his throat, it seemed to seep into all his meridians. The comfort was so immense that he almost lost his composure and groaned out loud.
"Ah!"
In the end, he really did scream, but not out of comfort—it was out of sheer agony.
For some unknown reason, the clear water had instantly turned into corrosive acid, causing green smoke to billow out from Ming Zhengxuan's limbs and bones.
Soon after, plumes of black smoke began pouring from his eyes, mouth, nose, and ears, making it look as though his internal organs were on fire.
With an agonizing roar, Ming Zhengxuan collapsed heavily onto the floor.
The black smoke emanating from him gathered above his head, gradually taking the shape of a sinister human face.
"Just as I thought. There was a problem," Zhu Yao said with a slight nod, not at all surprised by the changes in Ming Zhengxuan.
She waved her hand, sending out an invisible shockwave that scattered the twisted face in the air.
Following that, she raised her hand again and shot out a streak of white light.
The white light flew out the carriage door, transforming into a white swallow that soared into the clouds.
Having done all this, she turned her head toward Li Ban—who had actually been sitting beside her the entire time—and said, "I can't leave Li Yuan's side for too long. Once Yan Feibai tracks down the enemy, I'll notify—"
Halfway through her sentence, she suddenly stopped and stared intently at Li Ban. "How About you go this time?"
"Me?" Li Ban was slightly surprised.
Confirming that there was indeed an issue on the Eternal Trading Association's end had validated his suspicions, making him feel a bit proud.
However, since it involved Mutated Elements, he had figured Priest Zhu Yao would handle it personally or yank people over from a distance like she had before.
He hadn't expected her to hand this task over to him.
"Yes. They are just the grunts collecting special elements on the front lines. They might have their guard up, but seeing our main force leave will make them lower it a bit. You can use that opportunity to head over and simply kill everyone Yan Feibai has marked."
Even when speaking of murder, the aloof expression on Priest Zhu Yao's face didn't change in the slightest.
"Since you're joining the Myriad Ancient Pagoda, this will count as an achievement. It will be good for your future trials or if you ever go to the Shattered Realm."
"Understood. Thank you, Priest Yao."
This was Priest Zhu Yao gifting Li Ban an achievement.
Since he was the one who had found the clue, letting him handle the execution meant seeing things through to the end.
However, right as Li Ban prepared to leave and follow the spell bird named Yan Feibai, Priest Zhu Yao stopped him again.
"Wait a moment," she mused briefly. "This matter might be tied to Xiao Suo. Although our companions should be hunting him down right now, we can't rule out the possibility of him showing up in Zhongbei City."
She raised her hand, bringing out her Self-Seeking Mirror and tossing it to Li Ban.
"This is my Self-Seeking Mirror. Keep it in your Cubic Heaven and Earth for now. If Xiao Suo appears, pull the mirror out and I'll be able to sense it."
A faint, slightly contemptuous smile appeared on Priest Zhu Yao's face.
"If he really dares to show his face before my Self-Seeking Mirror, then I'll have you to thank."
Li Ban caught the mirror, very grateful for Priest Zhu Yao's thoughtfulness.
In truth, when he accepted this task, he had considered the possibility of running into Priest Xiao Suo.
But if he wanted to enter the Myriad Ancient Pagoda with some achievements under his belt, how could he expect not to take any risks?
Just as Priest Zhu Yao had said, the people at the trading association's branch were likely just a few small fry.
If his wariness of that black-robed priest made him too scared to even deal with a few grunts, then he might as well not be a Priest at all.
That was why he had accepted the assignment without a word.
At the same time, he had been wondering if he should leave Shi Ming behind as a protective charm.
After all, acting bravely didn't conflict with making full preparations.
Now that he had Priest Zhu Yao's Self-Seeking Mirror—which clearly possessed special abilities that gave her absolute confidence in suppressing the black-robed Xiao Suo—Li Ban had even less to worry about.
This just went to show that having a backer really made things easier.
It was true when being an assassin, and it was true when being a Priest.
Li Ban put the Self-Seeking Mirror away, nodded at Priest Zhu Yao, and vanished from her carriage.
He first used Shrinking Ground to an Inch to return to his own carriage, informing Cat Girl and the others that he was heading out to catch—or rather, kill—some people.
"I'll go with you," Cat Girl volunteered.
Li Ban patted the back of her hand. "Once my spell can carry people, I'll take you along."
His spells were much more proficient now. He could practically teleport anywhere within his line of sight.
However, he still couldn't take people with him, nor could he string rapid consecutive jumps together, so he had to go alone.
Cat Girl pursed her lips and nodded, not forcing the issue.
Still, she felt an unavoidable pang of disappointment.
When she learned of Li Ban's hidden identity, she knew his future achievements would absolutely surpass her current self.
But she hadn't expected it to happen so fast.
He had only just gained the approval of a Priest, yet he had already acquired such miraculous abilities.
Given a little more time, would she even have the chance to be his assistant anymore?
After Li Ban's figure vanished from the carriage once again, Cat Girl pulled out her heavily thumbed copy of the Art of Awakening Life and lowered her head to study it earnestly once more.
Seeing Cat Girl like this, Shi Ming suddenly muttered, "Not being a Priest is fine, too."
Cat Girl didn't even look up. "It's not so fun when you're being trampled underfoot."
Shi Ming gazed outside the carriage. He could see Li Ban, who had changed into a different outer robe, standing in an alleyway.
His vision blurred slightly, as if he were seeing a scene from a very distant past.
"So what if you get trampled underfoot?"
Cat Girl didn't say anything else.
She and Shi Ming had never walked the same path anyway. There was no need to explain her thoughts to him.
The small team that had once seemed so harmonious instantly reverted to a clear divide, well water not interfering with river water, the moment Li Ban temporarily left.
Li Ban watched the Grand Prince's convoy leave Zhongbei City, then looked up at the sky.
A pure white swallow was circling overhead.
Besides Li Ban, no one else could see it.
After Yan Feibai circled in the air for a while, it turned and flew deeper into the city.
Li Ban immediately followed.
—
Sometimes melting into the shadows and sometimes using Shrinking Ground to an Inch, he followed along, albeit a bit clumsily.
Fortunately, no one noticed him.
Yan Feibai didn't head toward the Eternal Trading Association's branch, but rather toward a secluded street.
Looking closely, the area was littered with warehouses of all sizes.
Who knew how Yan Feibai differentiated them, but it easily led Li Ban to the outside of a warehouse that looked like it hadn't been opened in ages.
The massive brass lock on the warehouse doors was coated in thick dust.
The keyhole was stuffed with debris, making it obvious that no one had opened it in a very long time.
Seeing Li Ban catch up, Yan Feibai immediately entered the warehouse.
Since it wasn't a physical animal to begin with, it just passed straight through the wall.
Li Ban couldn't walk through walls, but thankfully, the doors had been heavily weathered by the elements and had a few cracks, allowing him to peek inside.
'It's not like I haven't successfully used Shrinking Ground to an Inch within my line of sight before.'
Recalling the fluidity with which he had used the spell to return to his carriage, Li Ban focused his attention on his destination.
Swish!
He successfully appeared inside the locked warehouse.
Li Ban kept his expression perfectly blank, though inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief. At least he hadn't embarrassed himself in front of Yan Feibai.
By this time, Yan Feibai had landed on a crossbeam. Seeing Li Ban successfully make it inside, it continued flying forward.
Li Ban stepped forward to follow.
The warehouse was piled with miscellaneous junk, garbage, and some moldy, spoiled grain scattered across the floor.
The various stenches mixed together to create an odor so foul that even a vagrant wouldn't want to spend the night here.
Stepping around a few large piles of trash, Li Ban suddenly heard light footsteps from further inside.
But he was already nearing the back end of the warehouse.
'So there's a hidden space in here?'
Just as he was thinking that, a man bearing a swallow mark stepped out from behind a pile of garbage. Upon seeing Li Ban, the man was greatly startled and opened his mouth to shout a warning.
Li Ban immediately subdued him with a Mental Piercing before attempting the Terror Spell.
Perhaps because it was his first time using it in actual combat, he wasn't quite used to it. He failed on his first try and only succeeded on his second.
However, he was a little too successful.
The man, who had been standing there in a daze, suddenly rolled his eyes back and collapsed.
Li Ban looked down. Good lord, he had literally scared the man to death.