"Earlier at the banquet, I wanted to say something but stopped myself, because I wasn't sure if this matter was true or false, and I didn't want to drag you into trouble without reason. But if I try to handle it alone, it would indeed be very difficult to resolve."

Seeing Zhou Yin looking at him, Yu Nuo scratched his head and smiled bitterly, "Do you remember the Mind-Clearing Bell I took out when I was fighting with that mysterious person? Based on my identity and status, I'm just an ordinary disciple of Jinting Sect, there's no way I should possess such a magic treasure. This is a long story."

It turns out that not long after Yu Nuo left the mountain, he encountered a high-level cultivator on the verge of death. Although that cultivator was already at the late stage of Core Formation, he was a demonic cultivator, without the backing of a sect and not accepted by the orthodox sects.

For some reason he was being hunted down. Hanging on by a thread, he fled thousands of miles away, already at his last gasp, and happened to meet the inexperienced Yu Nuo.

The other party had the idea of absorbing Yu Nuo's cultivation, so he pretended to let go of his pride and befriended him, and told him a secret - that he was carrying the key to open an ancient cave dwelling, which brought him fatal disaster.

Yu Nuo, unaware of the deception, was nearly ambushed by him. Risking his life, he killed that demonic cultivator who was already heavily wounded, and found the Mind-Clearing Bell on his body. But he himself was also seriously injured and couldn't move.

Later, if General Hui hadn't passed by and lent a helping hand, he might have been ambushed again by someone unknown.

After Yu Nuo finished speaking, he added at the end, "At that time, I found a Qiankun embroidered pouch on his body, which contained quite a few magic treasures. In addition to the Mind-Clearing Bell, there was also an unknown lock and key. Although that person was extremely cunning, what he told me about this secret didn't seem like a lie."

Zhou Yin continued his words, "So you want me to go with you."

Yu Nuo's face turned red and he nodded, "I've been keeping this matter in my heart and had no one to tell. The location that the demonic cultivator mentioned happened to be near the Zhou Village. I was half believing and half doubting it originally, but later when I heard you talk about the village massacre, connecting the two, it became seventy to eighty percent believable."

"The Jinting Sect is not a small sect, you could easily send a message to your fellow disciples to come."

Yu Nuo sighed, "I'm a nobody, how would the sect believe me? Besides, even if they believed it and sent people, if this matter is false, at most I'll just get scolded. But if it's true, do you think I would still get a share of those treasures?"

Zhou Yin sneered, "I'm not a righteous gentleman either."

"Although you and I are not close, I can see that you are a proud person who would disdain to use many despicable means. Moreover, although both of our cultivations are not high, you have the advantage of being calm and meticulous, which can help us avoid many dangers. I, on the other hand, have the magic treasures I looted from that demonic cultivator's body. Not to mention, if there really is an immortal realm, the things inside should be more than enough for the two of us to split."

Yu Nuo smiled. He was not a fool and knew that the most important thing for the two of them to cooperate was to be honest, so he laid out the situation and showed his sincerity, leaving the choice to Zhou Yin.

Zhou Yin said, "We only have Foundation Establishment cultivation, the risk is too great."

Yu Nuo knew he was moved and couldn't help but feel happy, "When the time comes, we'll act within our abilities. If the difficulty is too great, we'll leave it for now and go back when our cultivation is higher. If there are some opportunities inside, it would be a great fortune for us."

Zhou Yin pondered for a moment. He indeed didn't have any useful magic treasures on hand right now. Traveling outside, there were dangers everywhere. If he encountered someone of equal strength, that would be fine, but if it was someone with cultivation a level higher than his own, it would be very difficult to escape unscathed.

"When do we set out?"

Yu Nuo was overjoyed to see him agree, "Three days later at You hour (5-7pm), meet at the Zhou Village."

Returning to the Ji Residence, Madam Cao and the others were naturally overjoyed. They inquired about his well-being and expressed their concern.

Ji Rong pulled Zhou Yin aside to talk, and upon learning that the Zhou Village was gone and that his own sister and brother-in-law had both died, he was heartbroken and wept bitterly. It took Madam Cao a long time to console him before he stopped.

Before Madam Ji was married off, she was the apple of the family's eye. Now that she was gone, leaving behind two sons, with the eldest son Zhou Zhang's whereabouts unknown, and Zhou Yin right before his eyes, having saved his life, Ji Rong grew even more fond of and grateful to him.

"Ah Yin, if your sect hasn't called you back, why don't you stay for a few more days? Zhenlian has been spoiled by us since she was young. With an elder brother like you around, it would be good for you to guide her more."

At present, the world was divided, and each nation governed itself. The restrictions between men and women gradually loosened. Although the status of women was still very low, it was not a great taboo for an unmarried young lady to associate with a familiar man.

Madam Cao naturally saw through her daughter's thoughts and also helped to push things along: "Your uncle is right. We have no sons, so you are like our own biological son. There's no need to be polite."

"Mom!" Ji Zhenlian was greatly embarrassed and wanted to turn around and run away. But then, as if thinking of something, she bit her lip and secretly glanced at Zhou Yin.

Zhou Yin said, "I may have to go out in a few days. Zhou Chen will stay in the mansion. I'll have to trouble Uncle and Aunt to take care of him more."

When he said this, he was the same as usual, without any extra expression, and didn't even glance at Ji Zhenlian.

"Chirp chirp!" Zhou Chen poked his head out from the sleeve and quickly jumped onto his shoulder, squeaking and screaming in protest.

Zhou Yin ignored him and stuffed him back into the sleeve, taking the opportunity to cast a silencing spell.

Ji Zhenlian only felt a dull pain in her heart, along with an indescribable sense of loss. She quickly lowered her head to cover the sourness in the corners of her eyes.

Madam Cao sighed inwardly and quickly smiled, "Don't worry, we will take good care of him."

Putting aside Ji Zhenlian's girlish thoughts, Zhou Yin spoke a few more words with Ji Rong and Madam Cao before returning to his room. Only then did he release the furball and remove the spell.

Zhou Chen lay listlessly, dispirited, unwilling to speak or look at him.

"This trip I'm going on may be dangerous. At present, you still don't have the ability to protect yourself and can't even speak. Naturally, you can't come with me."

The furball moved its head, then jumped up and spun around a few times before calling out to Zhou Yin.

Zhou Yin took out paper, pen, and cinnabar, and carved talismans to set up defensive formations around the Ji Residence. He didn't even look at it: "If you could speak now, we could consider it. But you can only chirp, so what can you do if you go? I don't have time to figure out bird language."

Although the power of the formation depends on the cultivation level of the person setting it up, Zhou Yin himself possessed the wisdom of a grandmaster from thousands of years ago. Setting up a defensive formation with higher defensive power was not difficult for him. It just required more time and effort.

Because of the previous incident where Yu Nuo and that person fought nearby, if the other party came for revenge while he was away, the Ji Residence would inevitably be implicated. Therefore, he had to make some preparations in advance.

Zhou Chen was anxious, chirping and squealing in protest, but after realizing it was ineffective, he dejectedly lay down by Zhou Yin's feet, listless.

"Chirp... chirp... Mu... Mummy..."

The brush tip paused as Zhou Yin looked at him.

"You can talk now?"

The furball also got excited, holding his breath. After much effort, he finally cried out, "Mummmy! Mummmy!"

Zhou Yin's usually expressionless face rarely furrowed his brows. "Where did you learn that form of address from?"

As soon as he said that, he remembered. Just now, Ji Zhenlian was stomping her feet and twisting her waist while calling out "mummy".

The furball Zhou Chen was finally able to speak, and he was so happy. He eagerly circled around Zhou Yin, calling out "mummy" in a tender, childish voice, his moist eyes full of admiration and ingratiation.

Zhou Yin picked him up and placed him on the table, looking at each other.

"I am not your parent or teacher. You may call me by my name."

Zhou Chen shyly rubbed his fluffy wings against Zhou Yin's sleeve. His newly-learned voice was soft and tender, even carrying a hint of coquettishness.

"Mummy~"

Zhou Yin acted as if he didn't hear and continued drawing talismans.

After a while, he said indifferently, "If you want to follow, that's fine. Just remember one thing - you can't speak human language in front of others. If that person discovers you are a high-level demon beast, chances are they will harbor evil intentions."

Even though up to now, Yu Nuo had always behaved relatively upright in front of him, it didn't mean he wouldn't be tempted when faced with huge enticement. Zhou Yin had long been accustomed to judging human nature with the worst malice.

Zhou Chen suddenly went from resentful to excited, hugging his tail and rolling around foolishly, nearly splashing cinnabar all over himself.

Three days later, Zhou Yin went to the Zhou Village as agreed, and sure enough, Yu Nuo was waiting there.

Just after the hour of You, night had already fallen. The Zhou Village had been completely burned down by a big fire, so naturally the investigating officials couldn't find anything and had to hastily close the case.

Moonlight shone on the ruins, a scene of utter desolation.

Seeing Zhou Yin, Yu Nuo said impatiently, "Fellow Daoist brother, I came a bit early just now and already searched all around the vicinity but couldn't find any possible cave entrance. You grew up in the Zhou Village since childhood, so you must be more familiar?"

"Have you been to Dragon Shadow Pond?"

"You mean that pond outside the village? I went to look, nothing special about it."

"What about underneath?"

Yu Nuo was startled and gasped. "You mean..."

Zhou Yin didn't say more, but Yu Nuo got excited after his hint.

"The spiritual energy there is indeed more abundant than other places. I originally thought it was because of the pond water, but now that you mention it, there might really be unexpected discoveries!"

Dragon Shadow Pond was pitch-black at night, only the loud crashing of the waterfall dispelling some of the silence.

Even with the full moon in the sky and starlight reflecting on the water surface, it was impossible to see the situation below for an originally deep pond.

However, these conditions did not pose an obstacle for cultivators.

The two entered the water and immediately set up a barrier around themselves. Inside the barrier, not a drop could penetrate, their clothes remaining as dry as if on shore.

Yu Nuo took out a luminous white pearl. With his palm at the center, the surrounding several li of water instantly lit up with a soft, bright light.

Ordinary night pearls did not have such great illumination. At most they could only emit a faint glow. The one in Yu Nuo's hand could already be considered a rare treasure.

Seeing Zhou Yin's gaze fall upon it, he smiled. "This was also looted from that demonic cultivator."

Beneath the pond, undercurrents surged and strange rocks jutted out. When the two were several zhang below the surface, it was still unfathomably deep.

Last time he came, Zhou Yin didn't examine closely. This time, under the illumination of the night pearl, he carefully observed the surrounding cliff walls and discovered that in addition to aquatic plants, the crevices also grew some vegetation extremely rare on land. The underwater environment did not cause their extinction but rather exuded vigorous vitality.

Yu Nuo exclaimed while searching around, "This pond is so deep, I'm afraid it could directly connect to the East Sea!"

Zhou Yin slightly furrowed his brows without responding. He thought of something else.

Last time, he sensed astonishing spiritual energy here, then found Zhou Chen in the pond. It made him think that demon beast egg was the source of the spiritual energy, but now it was clearly not the case.

The deeper into the pond, the stronger the spiritual energy became. Through the water ripples, it made the barrier enveloping their bodies and the Zhou Chen in his arms tremble slightly as if eager to investigate.

Looking at Yu Nuo, the excitement on his face had grown thicker, evidently feeling the same.

"I'll go down and take a look first." After speaking, Yu Nuo sank down first, feeling the cliff walls while carefully observing the surroundings, afraid of missing the slightest clue.

Suddenly, his slightly trembling voice sounded from below, "Brother Zhou, come quickly and look!"

When Zhou Yin went over, he saw Yu Nuo's hands rubbing on it.

"What is carved here? I actually can't understand it. Could it be ancient text?"

He was referring to five symbols of various shapes, not quite characters, protruding slightly on the cliff face. They weren't carved but seemed more like they were pasted on. However, they did not dissolve in water, not decaying after countless years dozens of zhang deep underwater, making them even more bizarre.

After looking for a good while, Zhou Yin finally said, "These shouldn't be writing."

"Then what are they?"

"Talisman script."