At this moment, faced with Yanâs surprised gaze, Zhou Qing had no choice but to say, "I forgot where I saw this thing, just asking randomly."
Yan Xiaohu stood up and explained to Zhou Qing, "This thing is somewhat obscure, it can be considered a rare tracking material, colorless and odorless. Even if a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator gets accidentally stained with it, they might not notice, but there is a type of Black Spirit Dog with a very sharp nose."
"To obtain this substance from a Demon Beastâs Spiritual Turtle, you need these Black Spirit Dogs to find the Spiritual Turtleâs lair..."
Listening to Yanâs words, Zhou Qing felt a shiver in his heart.
He once again carefully examined the Jade Pendant.
"Whatâs wrong?" Seeing Zhou Qingâs unusual expression, Yan Xiaohu stopped his explanation and curiously came closer.
Zhou Qing said, "Third Senior Brother, my nose might be more sensitive than an average personâs. Based on what you said and what I know, if Iâm not mistaken, this Jade Pendant is smeared with Spiritual Turtle Liquid."
Upon hearing this, Yan Xiaohu looked at Zhou Qing in disbelief.
"Really?"
"Really?"
"But this Spiritual Turtle Liquid is colorless and odorless, how did you smell it?"
"Didnât you just say that even Black Spirit Dogs can smell it? Why canât I?"
"Right right, if itâs true, then your nose is amazing, even better than a dogâs. Let me see if the structure inside is different from mine, why canât I smell it?"
"Third Senior Brother, move your chubby hands away. The key point is not this, itâs the Spiritual Turtle Liquid!"
"Right right, almost forgot the important part. It looks like this is a premeditated action, could it be that Yin Xiao kidnapped Cui Yingying and others?"
[Heart Mirror Points +7]
The note above Yan Xiaohuâs head quickly changed from [God-like Junior Brother] to [Better than a Dog Junior Brother].
Zhou Qing couldnât help but twitch his face.
Is that a compliment or an insult?
Yan Xiaohu frowned, picked up the Jade Pendant, examined it in the sunlight, and then sniffed it hard.
Zhou Qing said, "Yin Xiaoâs cultivation level is at most on par with Cui Yingying. Even if he wants to use force, itâs impossible for more than 200 people to disappear without a trace, not to mention half of them were ruthlessly killed."
Then, the two looked at each other and said in unison, "Itâs Cangyan Daoist Palace!"
Yan Xiaohu gasped, "Could it be that Sikong Yan, the Palace Master of Cangyan Daoist Palace, has been relentlessly pursuing Immortal Xuan You without success, and is trying to force her to submit?"
Zhou Qing shook his head, "If that were the case, Sikong Yan could have just kidnapped her quietly, without bothering with such covert tracking measures like applying Spiritual Turtle Liquid."
Yan Xiaohu pondered, "Indeed, it doesnât make sense. The people from Cyan Feather Immortal Sect left in batches, and Cui Yingyingâs group should be the last batch. So what exactly does Cangyan Daoist Palace want to do?"
"I canât figure it out, itâs giving me a headache. Old Four, lie down on the ground and sniff around, see if there are any other clues?"
Zhou Qing turned and walked away.
Do you really think Iâm a dog?
"Itâs all for cracking the case. If I had your nose, Iâd be climbing up to the roof to sniff right now," Yan Xiaohu said enviously.
Not long after, the two of them carefully searched the rooms where other Core Disciples had stayed but found nothing.
Now, all the evidence pointed to Cyan Feather Immortal Sect and Yin Xiao.
"Iâll relay the relevant clues to the master first, let them be aware. After all, as we get farther from Taiqing Sect, there could be a delay in passing on the message, or it might not get through at all."
Finished speaking, Yan Xiaohu took out the Token and reported their findings to Mo Xingjian.
Soon, they received a reply from their master: "Got it, stay safe, and take good care of Old Four."
That evening, they stayed with several other True Disciples in a decent inn in Flame Dragon City.
Inside the room, Zhou Qing fed two Spirit Stones to an old hen when he heard a knock on the door.
As soon as he opened the door, Yan Xiaohu rushed in with a pen and paper.
"Quick quick quick, Old Four, help me out. Whatâs the spelling of that beast bone soup we had on the east side of the street this afternoon?"
Yan Xiaohu laid out the booklet and handed Zhou Qing the pen.
Perplexed, Zhou Qing glanced at the booklet. Upon seeing the detailed records of everything they had eaten and drunk since leaving Little Spirit Peak, he was flabbergasted.
"Third Senior Brother, what is this?" Zhou Qing asked, puzzled.
Yan Xiaohu replied, "Public spending, see? Looking for people wasnât originally our task, but now weâre out here risking our lives. We shouldnât delay our cultivation and have to pay out of our own pockets, right?"
"When we find the people, the gratitude from Cyan Feather Immortal Sect will be toward Master. If we donât find them, no one will care about our expenses along the way. Isnât that a loss? Money doesnât come from thin air, donât you agree?"
Listening to the Third Senior Brother, Zhou Qing felt something was off but couldnât pinpoint it.
"Then who will reimburse you? Everyone from the Thirteen Peaks was dispatched, and if we count it like this, the sect will incur huge costs, right?"
Zhou Qing wrote the characters "é¸éˇ" (yuè zhuĂł) and asked curiously.
After seeing the complex characters of "é¸éˇ," Yan Xiaohu couldnât help but curse a bit.
Then, he happily put away the booklet: "Of course, Master. I canât cheat my own master. Plus, do you think Old Mo would give me money?"
"Did Sect Leader agree?" Zhou Qing asked, surprised.
Yan Xiaohuâs small eyes squinted into a line with a sly smile.
"How could he agree? But I kept pestering him. No, I should say I reasoned with him righteously. In the end, he had no choice but to agree that any public task assigned by the sect would be reimbursed."
Yan Xiaohuâs face was full of pride as he spoke.
Zhou Qing clapped in admiration.
"So, other disciples from the peaks also claimed expenses?" Zhou Qing asked, not expecting the Sect Leader to be so considerate of them.
Yan Xiaohu shook his head: "Those guys are too shy to ask. They think Iâm being petty and feel embarrassed, so Iâm the only one who claims expenses. Because of this, Sect Leader despises me, and even our master was ignored for a long time."
Zhou Qing: "..."
Yan Xiaohu chuckled: "This is called keeping business and private matters separate. But I, Yan Xiaohu, am always meticulous. You saw yourself; I didnât inflate a single expense."
"No, no, Third Senior Brother works meticulously, I admire you deeply!" Zhou Qing quickly said.
Yan Xiaohu laughed in satisfaction: "Thatâs right. Well then, I wonât disturb your rest. We have to leave early tomorrow, so sleep early."
"You too, Senior Brother!"
After sending Yan Xiaohu off, Zhou Qing couldnât help but smile.
Third Senior Brother, how to describe him? His mischievous personality always seems to have endless funny moments.
......
The next day, Zhou Qing yawned as he opened the door and walked down the stairs, only to be stunned.
"Senior Brother Zhou, youâre awake. Come join us for breakfast; we just ordered some hot tofu pudding," Lu Yaoyao invited with a beaming smile.
[Heart Mirror Points +5]
Next to her, Li Daoxuan looked at Zhou Qing with disdain. The label above his head changed from [Dog Who Canât Change Its Ways] to [Annoying Dog-like Pervert].
Wait, didnât I just treat you to a meal at Jade Dining Hall last time?
Whoâs the annoying dog-like pervert here, donât you both know?