Lizhi didn't dare look up at the honored guest from the Heavenly Dao Sect.
To hell with it. She had already made it clear to her team leader—she was a pure wild child born and raised in West Niu Continent. How could she possibly handle a rendezvous?
Especially one with a big shot from the Heavenly Dao Sect, the top authority in Central State.
But her leader had insisted—if he were a big shot coming down from above, he would definitely want a good-looking woman to welcome him.
In their squad, there weren't many women, and even fewer good-looking ones.
You might not be stunningly beautiful, but you're at least somewhat attractive. You go.
Besides, if a woman goes, even if things don't work out, maybe they'll let it slide because she's a woman. They won't pursue it too deeply.
At first, Lizhi could still remember to watch her language and speak elegantly, maybe with a hint of refinement.
She even practiced for a few days.
But!
This big shot from the Heavenly Dao Sect had stood her up for five whole days!
Five days!
Do you know what that means?
If someone stood Lizhi up for fifteen minutes, she would punch them.
If someone stood her up for an hour, that person would never get another meeting with Lizhi.
You had to hand it to him—a distinguished guest from the Heavenly Dao Sect was indeed distinguished.
He had kept Lizhi waiting for five full days.
She wasn't exactly a patient person to begin with, but while Chu Xingchen could stand her up, Lizhi didn't dare do anything about it.
Lizhi could only stay dutifully in her room. The longer she waited, the more her scalp tingled.
No eating, no drinking, no chatting, no seeing anyone.
For a moment, Lizhi felt dazed. Isn't this just solitary confinement in a prison cell?
What kind of reception was this? It was basically serving time!
But even if it was prison, Lizhi probably wouldn't want to leave.
The Sky Patrol Bureau's treatment was excellent. Besides the extremely punctual monthly spirit stone supply, they even provided pills!
In West Niu Continent, this level of treatment was absolutely rare as phoenix feathers!
Across the entire Northern Desolation, how many people would fight tooth and nail just to get in?
And the Sky Patrol Bureau's identity carried real weight in West Niu Continent. Whether a sect was famous or not, they all had to give the Sky Patrol Bureau some face.
After all, the Bureau was backed by the legendary eighteen Immortal Sects!
Although Lizhi had never actually met a single disciple from the Heavenly Dao Sect, that didn't stop her from invoking their name to bolster her courage.
Lizhi, a free-spirited, pure-blooded West Niu Continent woman, had been bent by this tremendous welfare.
But opportunity came with crisis. This was Lizhi's great crisis.
Was she about to be fired from the Sky Patrol Bureau over a single sentence?
It hadn't been long since she last went home to brag. Now everything was ruined.
Lizhi's mind raced frantically, trying to figure out how to salvage this "damn it."
But before she could speak, Chu Xingchen sighed softly, then said with a hint of helplessness:
"Damn it, why did you stop mid-sentence?"
Lizhi froze. She straightened up slightly and looked at this handsome young man, then asked quietly:
"You... are you also from West Niu Continent?"
"No. But since I've come to West Niu Continent, I should follow the local customs."
Chu Xingchen could naturally see Lizhi's embarrassment and nervousness. It was obvious that the curse word had simply slipped out instinctively.
It wasn't malicious, so there was no need to hold it against her.
Besides, being new here, he needed to make some connections.
Lizhi wasn't stupid—at least not within her own squad. Her captain often sincerely praised her cleverness.
So she naturally understood that Chu Xingchen was offering her a way out.
As expected of someone from Central State. He really knows how to handle social situations!
Lizhi breathed a sigh of relief and stood up fully. "My apologies, sir. I am Lizhi, your contact for this mission."
"Lizhi?" Chu Xingchen's tone carried some curiosity. "Who gave you that name?"
"My dad," Lizhi said with a genuine smile. "Dad said it was the most delicious fruit he'd ever eaten. When Mom gave birth to me, Dad said he was as happy as if he'd eaten a lychee, so he named me Lizhi."
Chu Xingchen gestured for Lizhi to sit. "Your dad must really dote on you."
Lizhi didn't refuse. Perhaps sensing that Chu Xingchen was indeed easy to talk to, she sat down without hesitation.
"Dad has always doted on me, and I haven't let him down either."
"Do you think lychees are delicious?"
"I've never had one. Dad ate them in East Victory Divine Continent. I heard lychees can't be grown in West Niu Continent."
"Next time I'll treat you to some lychees."
Lizhi smiled and shook her head. "I'll have a chance to try them someday. I won't trouble you with that, sir."
Chu Xingchen nodded slightly, then shifted to the main topic:
"Have there been any rumors about Demons in West Niu Continent lately?"
"Demons?" Lizhi hesitated slightly, thinking about her actual duties, then asked quietly:
"Are you referring to the Demons from the great catastrophe thousands of years ago?"
"Correct. Any recent news?"
Lizhi cleared her throat awkwardly. "The most recent news about Demons dates back over a thousand years. These days, you'd be hard-pressed to even find a Demon's grave."
Chu Xingchen wasn't disappointed. After all, information about Demons was still kept confidential by the eighteen Immortal Sects to prevent internal chaos before any Demons actually appeared.
The Sky Patrol Bureau's current mission was different from before. It was normal for them to be uninformed.
However, Chu Xingchen had come prepared. He had selected the most crucial locations from the ancient texts.
"There are several places I want to visit. I wonder if you're familiar with them."
As he spoke, Chu Xingchen took a piece of paper from his spatial ring and placed it before Lizhi.
Lizhi looked down, expecting to see either remote corners of the world or deadly dangerous locations.
Instead, she saw relatively common places with very low danger levels.
Only...
"I am familiar with them, but some of them are now Buddhist Sect territory."
Lizhi spoke somewhat delicately.
Regardless, a significant portion of West Niu Continent was core Buddhist territory. She couldn't simply assume Chu Xingchen was here just for sightseeing.
The Heavenly Dao Sect was one of the eighteen Immortal Sects, but so was the Buddhist Sect.
Lizhi added, "If you just want to look around, that shouldn't be a problem. Just try to avoid contact with the locals there."
Chu Xingchen replied:
"I just want to take a simple look. If I were coming to fight, I wouldn't come alone."
Lizhi instantly relaxed at these words. That made sense. She said:
"If you're not in a rush, sir, let me go back and prepare. I'll study the records for these locations thoroughly, and I can explain everything to you along the way."
Chu Xingchen was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected the seemingly carefree, detail-averse Lizhi to say something like this.
It seemed she did have some competence to be assigned as his contact.
At the Heavenly Dao Sect, Heavenly Dao Peak.
Bai Xuanling's expression was extremely solemn as she looked down at the letter Chu Xingchen had written her.
After a moment, she put away the letter and turned her gaze to Lu Xuan:
"The situation is bad. Prepare for the worst."
Lu Xuan lowered his eyes and nodded slightly.
The great hall fell silent once more.
Just as Bai Xuanling was about to rise and leave the Heavenly Dao Sect to continue pursuing the clues in her hands, Yun Yun walked in from outside.
She bowed slightly to both of them in greeting, then spoke:
"Chen Baiqing has arrived. She says she's looking for Chu Xingchen."
Bai Xuanling nodded in acknowledgment but didn't respond to this news. She simply stepped out of the hall.
Lu Xuan could only sigh softly.
This little girl was not easy to fool. Her mind was full of schemes.
After all, not everyone was Chu Xingchen, who could earn Chen Baiqing's unconditional trust.
[
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