Since entering Xian Cheng, Xiao Fei had changed his appearance every time he went out.
Today he might be a burly man, tomorrow an old man with white hair, and the day after tomorrow a beautiful young girl...
The secret art of changing one's face given by Old Ancestor Shangguan was truly effective, at least Golden Core cultivators could not see through it.
As for whether Nascent Soul experts could see through it, he didn't know, nor did he dare to try.
Now, he set up a stall in the market every day, appearing in different guises and selling different items.
The spiritual items he sold each time were not in large quantities and would disappear the next day. When he reappeared with a different face, he would start selling other items.
Anyway, the market was always bustling with people, and no one noticed anything amiss about him.
The market was a place where many people gathered and talked. Besides selling spiritual items for spirit stones, he could also glean a lot of information from idle gossip.
By organizing and compiling these fragmented pieces of information, one could deduce a great deal of useful intelligence.
Many spies, for instance, did not necessarily need to venture into dangerous territories to steal classified information. Simply collecting trivial daily matters could reveal deeply hidden secrets.
Today, Xiao Fei was selling spiritual herbs at his stall. They were all second-tier spiritual herbs, not particularly valuable, but not cheap either.
By the time he packed up in the afternoon, most of the spiritual herbs had been sold, earning him thirty to forty thousand spirit stones.
Now, he could earn tens of thousands of spirit stones almost every day. If things continued like this, in a few months, he would have enough spirit stones to prepare for his breakthrough to the Golden Core stage.
Many people in the Qin Kingdom used what they called mid-grade spirit stones, referring to the ones they previously used as low-grade spirit stones.
Mid-grade spirit stones were slightly larger, but the spiritual energy contained within them was much denser. In market exchanges, one mid-grade spirit stone was equivalent to one hundred low-grade spirit stones.
When Qin Kingdom cultivators made transactions involving large sums, they often used mid-grade spirit stones.
Xiao Fei had collected quite a few mid-grade spirit stones in the past few days.
At this moment, he had finished selling the spiritual herbs at his stall and was heading home.
In the past few days, the inventory accumulated in his spatial dimension had brought in over 500,000 spirit stones.
If he were to absorb them into his spatial dimension, it should increase the time flow rate to 25 times. However, it was more important to save these spirit stones for his Golden Core breakthrough.
There were still many accumulated spiritual herbs, elixirs, and spiritual wines in his spatial dimension. He had only brought out some of the average quality items to sell at the stall.
He dared not bring out truly rare treasures, such as spiritual wines hundreds of years old, Spirit Gathering Tea, millennium spiritual herbs, Wood Spirit Fruits, or Dragon's Breath Grass.
Upon returning to the rented courtyard, Huang Feifei and Zhu Yu had also returned from their outings. In the past few days, they had been acting separately and had each made some gains.
"Young Master, I have inquired clearly. There are over thirty intelligence-gathering agencies in the city."
"I also learned that the government has a special agency responsible for managing and receiving envoys from various countries."
The three of them gathered together, consolidating the intelligence they had each obtained, and discussed for a while.
Finally, they decided to act separately the next day.
Huang Feifei would be responsible for selling this intelligence to the various intelligence agencies, allowing them to spread the word.
Zhu Yu, as a Nascent Soul disciple of the Dan Xin Sect from the Lu Kingdom, would directly visit the Qin Kingdom's government agency, hoping to deliver the intelligence directly to the higher authorities.
Xiao Fei would be responsible for spreading rumors among the vast number of cultivators.
The three of them, acting through three different channels simultaneously, were confident that at least one would be effective.
The next day, Xiao Fei made many copies of the images recorded by the keepsake mirrors he possessed, and each person carried several copies.
Huang Feifei directly approached the intelligence-gathering agencies, visiting them one by one.
The primary income for these intelligence agencies came from collecting and then selling information.
Information, in their hands, was equivalent to a commodity.
Some fresh and valuable intelligence could even be sold to them for a few spirit stones.
Even if the intelligence was not particularly valuable, they would at least collect it for free, then look for opportunities to sell it or give it away.
Therefore, Huang Feifei's route was not difficult, and she even managed to earn a few spirit stones.
Zhu Yu's route, on the other hand, was considerably more challenging, as dealing with government officials was not an easy task.
His status as a Nascent Soul disciple of the Dan Xin Sect made it difficult for him to be taken seriously in a place like the Qin Kingdom, which was teeming with powerful cultivators.
Zhu Yu submitted his visiting card and offered substantial benefits to the cultivators guarding the gate. After waiting for two days, he finally received an opportunity to be summoned.
This Qin Kingdom official was also a Golden Core cultivator. He was gaunt and had a distinctive handlebar mustache. The moment he saw Zhu Yu, he was slightly taken aback, but quickly regained his composure.
"Are you that envoy from the Lu Kingdom?"
The official with the handlebar mustache spoke condescendingly, his demeanor arrogant. As an official of a powerful nation, he naturally felt a sense of superiority when receiving envoys from smaller countries.
"Indeed, this is my identity jade token!"
Zhu Yu presented his identity jade token with both hands. The official with the handlebar mustache took it, glanced at it casually, and then threw it back to Zhu Yu, not taking it seriously at all.
"What is the purpose of your visit?"
"Reporting to Your Excellency, I have important intelligence to convey."
Zhu Yu then recounted the matter of the evil cultivators from Mount Eagle colluding with other evil cultivators, embellishing the story with details.
Especially the part where a Nascent Soul cultivator from Mount Eagle took a Nine-Eyed Demon from the Dan Xin Sect, and how this Nine-Eyed Demon later appeared in the Demon Sealing Cave, which also served as important evidence.
Colluding with extraterrestrial demons, especially attempting to open interdimensional passages, was an act that the entire cultivation world could not tolerate.
He believed that the Qin Kingdom would not ignore this matter.
As Zhu Yu spoke, he presented a copy of the keepsake mirror.
The official with the handlebar mustache examined it and fell into deep thought, remaining silent for the moment. It was unclear what he was thinking.
"Bang!"
"These evil cultivators are simply lawless!"
The official with the handlebar mustache slammed his hand on the table, his face showing anger.
"Alas! You have all worked hard to collect evidence! Have the others arrived as well? Where are they currently staying?"
"The others are still in the Lu Kingdom and have not come!"
Zhu Yu felt a bit puzzled and blurted out a lie.
He had never mentioned who obtained the intelligence, so how could the other party be sure it was them?
"Very well! This matter is of great importance. Come with me."
The official with the handlebar mustache said, standing up and preparing to walk towards the back of the main hall, gesturing for Zhu Yu to follow.
Zhu Yu stood rooted to the spot, hesitant and apprehensive. Could this Qin Kingdom official also have such perverse inclinations and covet his beauty?
If that were the case, his sacrifice for the Lu Kingdom, for the sect, and for the suffering people of the Lu Kingdom would be immense.
Zhu Yu hesitated for a long time, but still, he cautiously followed.
The official with the handlebar mustache led him out of the main hall through a back door, navigating through numerous buildings along a corridor. The further they went, the more secluded it became, and Zhu Yu's heart grew increasingly anxious.
He recalled past humiliating experiences and could not calm his mind.
He was now a Golden Core expert, and he had also found a powerful patron who was both attractive and capable, promising him an unlimited future.
He absolutely could not retrace his old path; otherwise, he would have no way to explain himself to Old Ancestor Shangguan. He was a person who cherished his purity.
With this thought, he stopped.
"Your Excellency, I suddenly remembered an important matter. I shall take my leave for today!"
"We are already here, why not walk a few more steps with me!"
The official with the handlebar mustache said, his aura surging, and he reached out to grab Zhu Yu, intending to force him.
Seeing this, Zhu Yu quickly fumbled in his embrace for a Thousand-Mile Teleportation Talisman. He activated it instantly, and with a flash of white light, he was already a hundred miles away!
Seeing Zhu Yu escape, the official with the handlebar mustache revealed a look of annoyance.
"Damn it, I will find you!"
He held the keepsake mirror that Zhu Yu had given him and instantly crushed it into fragments.
The official with the handlebar mustache continued forward until he reached a secluded house, where he entered and closed the door behind him.
He pushed open the door to a secret chamber at the very back, and a strong smell of blood instantly emanated from it.
In the center of the secret chamber was a blood pool, its contents churning, emitting a foul odor.
The official with the handlebar mustache took a deep breath with evident enjoyment.
He then walked to a coat rack, grabbed his own face, and forcefully tore it off, revealing a furry head.
Next, he peeled off the skin from his body as if he were taking off clothes.
Beneath this complete skin, a figure covered in black fur with nine eyes.
If Zhu Yu or Xiao Fei had seen this, they would have immediately recognized it as the Nine-Eyed Demon that had escaped from the Demon Sealing Cave.
It was just that fate had brought them together again here, and Zhu Yu had almost fallen into its clutches.
If Zhu Yu had truly fallen into the hands of the Nine-Eyed Demon, being subjected to its torment would have been the best-case scenario.
Fortunately, Zhu Yu was now upright and principled, preferring to break rather than bend, cherishing his purity, which saved his life.