Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

Our group continued forward along the river, alternating between light footwork and rest, despite the commotion from last night.

Following this river and taking the main road eastward would eventually lead to the largest salt lake in the central plains, Qinghai Lake. From there, continuing northwest on the main road would bring us to the Kunlun Mountains, where Kunlun Mountain itself was located.

Our first destination was Kunlun Mountain.

And the reason we were heading there—

It was to find the Kunlun Sect, one of the Nine Great Martial Sects.

It was certain that both the Five Venoms Sect and the Blood Sect were up to something in Qinghai, but their exact location remained unclear.

The Blood Sect member we captured at the Beast Palace was merely a low-ranking lackey, unable to provide precise information.

Thus, we intended to gather information from the Kunlun Sect, which, like us, belonged to the righteous path.

No matter how we looked at it, the Kunlun Sect’s concerns and the Blood Sect’s movements didn’t seem like separate incidents.

Since they were investigating the disappearance of merchants and camels, it was highly likely that their findings would overlap with the information we sought.

'Still, what kind of sect is located in such a remote area?'

Most of the Nine Great Martial Sects had secured prime locations in the central plains, yet the Kunlun Sect stood alone in the middle of the desert.

Even the Songshan Sect, which was also in a remote area, had at least settled in a strategic position in the southern regions. This made the Kunlun Sect seem even more unusual.

We had yet to even enter Qinghai when a vast grassland, though not a full desert, began to unfold to the east.

A sprawling expanse of greenery.

As I lay on my back atop the sword, gliding forward, my gaze dropped to the open plains below.

For a brief moment, I wondered if I should inform Ji-ryong that we had entered a grassland.

It wasn’t a desert yet, but the terrain had changed. Should I mention it or not?

'Since it’s not Qinghai yet, I don’t have to tell him, right? No, I should probably just mention it.'

We hadn’t rested for long, but I had just decided to inform Ji-ryong about the change in scenery when—

—Kishi!

A sudden noise from the side made me turn my head.

Looking toward the sound, I saw Yo-hwa, hanging from a silk thread, pulling herself up close to us with fluid movements.

Her elongated silk thread swayed in the wind, causing the strands of Hwa-eun’s pedipalp hair to ripple elegantly.

She seemed to want to say something, but since she hadn’t yet registered in the Beast Spirit Technique, I couldn’t read her thoughts clearly.

I simply relied on intuition to respond.

"Yeah, Yo-hwa, it feels great, doesn’t it? Flying together like this is always fun, right?"

Not knowing exactly what she was trying to say, I casually answered, and her pedipalps curled into an alluring smile.

—Kishishi!

Maybe it was because she had absorbed my yang energy for so long, or perhaps there was another reason, but it felt like Yo-hwa’s emotions had grown more expressive.

I was about to shift my focus back to Ji-ryong when his voice rang out before I could even call him.