Li Ban didn't tell the brothers, Hao Ze and Hao Yang, that they were entering the Nihility State to find the black-robed Xiao Suo.
That would wait. Priest Qian Que would find an opportunity to tell them once they were inside.
The brothers were accustomed to secretive missions, so they asked no questions before setting out.
With the pair in their ranks, the group set off for the Nihility State, while Li Ban departed the Myriad Ancient Pagoda ahead of them.
The rest of the group used the pretext of hunting Du An and the mysterious black-robed priest to travel directly from Yingzhou, crossing the River of Helplessness into the Nihility State.
Moving alone, Li Ban first made a trip to the Shenji Battalion to seek out Qiao Zhen'er.
Qiao Zhen'er had successfully advanced to a level 5 spirit practitioner and still kept Li Ban on her mind.
It wasn't that she had fallen for him after just two meetings.
Rather, her time in the Shenji Battalion had been difficult.
Although Li Ban had arranged her entry, he hadn't shown his face since, nor had he ordered anyone to give her preferential treatment.
When Qiao Zhen'er first joined the Shenji Battalion, her entry had been so exceptionally smooth that people ignorant of the truth tried to curry favor with her.
They quickly realized that, beyond that initial ease, she demonstrated no further connections or overwhelming strength.
Despite having been one of the top fighters at the Weiyun Martial Arts Hall, upon arriving at the Shenji Battalion, she ended up fading into the ordinary crowd.
Consequently, the people whose level 5 promotion spots she had snatched began making trouble in secret. What started as constant probing had recently escalated into blatant hostility.
Her young apprentice, Zhao De, was reduced to following petty orders, running errands, and playing the lackey.
Having previously enjoyed preferential treatment, Qiao Zhen'er and Zhao De had a hard time adjusting to the stark fall in status.
The quick-witted Zhao De urged Qiao Zhen'er to reach out to Li Ban on her own initiative. Unfortunately, Qiao Zhen'er didn't even know his real name.
When Li Ban suddenly appeared in Qiao Zhen'er's bedroom, she was just about to raise her guard when she recognized his voice.
"It's been over two months since the trip to the Nihility State. Do you still remember me?"
Qiao Zhen'er was so thrilled she almost jumped up.
"My Lord, it's you? You've finally appeared!"
She hurried forward to pull out a chair and pour him some tea.
"There's no need," Li Ban said, raising a hand in refusal. "I only came to ask you a few questions."
"Please ask, My Lord. I will tell you everything I know."
"You've smuggled yourself into the Nihility State so many times. You must have been to quite a few places, right?"
"To answer My Lord, I never dared venture too deep into the Nihility State. I always stuck to the riverbank, traveling east and west."
"Have you seen this before?"
Li Ban took out a Fluffy Dandelion.
Qiao Zhen'er had, in fact, seen the peculiar plant.
"My Lord, I remember seeing these near the deeper parts of the Nihility State. They are widespread. As long as you walk a few li toward the interior, you can find this plant just about anywhere. We even studied it back then, but we didn't find any medicinal value, nor was it poisonous."
"Then have you ever seen a type of mud that can walk like a person?"
"I saw it once from a distance. I didn't dare get close."
"Where?"
"Just a few hundred meters north of where you saved me last time."
Li Ban silently confirmed it. The spot Qiao Zhen'er described was the exact same place he had seen the mud.
"Aside from that, have you encountered any other unusual creatures in the Nihility State? Or rather, have you met any strange people?"
Qiao Zhen'er offered a bitter smile. "My Lord, all the creatures in the Nihility State are unusual to us. But if you're asking about people, I actually did run into someone once."
"Oh? What kind of person?"
"We only crossed paths by chance and exchanged a few words. I have no idea who he was. I only know he was dressed in a long, black brocade robe, strolling through the Nihility State all by himself, looking incredibly leisurely."
"Do you remember what he looked like?"
Qiao Zhen'er thought hard for a moment.
"I can't. His appearance was so unremarkable that I can't recall it at all, but I do remember he had a very pleasant voice."
A pleasant voice?
Li Ban was practically certain it was Xiao Suo.
"What did the two of you talk about?"
"He asked what I was doing in the Nihility State, and I answered him truthfully—that I was scavenging for valuables to sell. But when I asked him in return, he claimed he was farming, and dropping by to visit his best friend while he was at it. How could anyone possibly farm in the Nihility State? Assuming he was just feeding me a lie, I quickly took my leave. Looking back on it now, that man was truly bizarre."
"He asked what you were doing there, and you just gave him a completely honest answer?"
Prompted by Li Ban, Qiao Zhen'er finally realized how out of character that was.
"You're right. Whenever I encounter strangers in the Nihility State, my first instinct is always to get as far away as possible. Why would I just stand there and chat with him?"
Qiao Zhen'er's face steadily drained of color. The more she thought about it, the more wrong it felt.
How could an ordinary spirit practitioner possibly resist Xiao Suo?
"Don't worry. It's unlikely you'll ever run into him again."
Li Ban waved a dismissive hand.
Xiao Suo farming makes sense, he thought to himself.
Those swamp vines were actually his arms.
But what did he mean by visiting his best friend?
Could it be that mysterious black-robed priest?
After the mysterious black-robed priest rescued Du An, the two of them ventured deep into the Nihility Continent and vanished without a trace.
It's entirely possible that man lives in the Nihility State.
And yet, Du An recently showed up in the Nine Heavens Sea.
Does the Nihility State harbor a spatial passage that connects directly to the Nine Heavens Sea?
As Li Ban thought it over, another theory suddenly came to mind.
Xiao Suo is a deeply eccentric person.
This "best friend" he spoke of might not be someone else. It's highly likely he meant himself.
Befriending his own self.
That's probably exactly the sort of game someone who is mentally fractured and fond of using clones would enjoy.
"I see," Li Ban said. Having learned what he needed to know, he prepared to leave. But when he glanced up, he caught Qiao Zhen'er staring at him with a deeply expectant look. "Is there something else?"
Qiao Zhen'er suddenly looked nervous.
"My Lord, may I know your identity?"
Qiao Zhen'er knew her answers hadn't been terribly helpful, so she didn't dare ask for anything too excessive.
She just wanted to know who he was, hoping she might still have a chance to cross paths with him again in the future.
If nothing else, should she ever be bullied to the breaking point and backed into a corner, she would at least have a lifeline to call upon.
Li Ban thought for a moment before replying. "It's not convenient for me to reveal my identity right now. But if you run into trouble, take this and seek out the Valley Master of the Mist Valley."
The Mist Valley's Valley Master had the backing of two great priests from the Mist Realm and the Imperial Dynasty. No matter what kind of trouble Qiao Zhen'er might face, it would be trivial for her to resolve.
What Li Ban handed over to Qiao Zhen'er was a single leaf from a Xuanji Vine.
For the next two or three years, the only ones in possession of these leaves would be Li Ban and the Mist Valley.
Tan Qiyue was a smart woman. Even without Li Ban letting her know beforehand, the moment she saw this leaf, she would know exactly whose name Qiao Zhen'er was using to seek help.
Qiao Zhen'er carefully accepted the leaf, wrapping it in silk before tucking it securely into the sachet she kept close to her chest.
"Thank you, My Lord."
But when she looked up again, Li Ban was already gone.