Lu Zaiye's eyes were sharp, and his entire being exuded an air of murderous intent. The young man's legs began to tremble, and he couldn't help but turn to the plump cultivator for help.
The plump cultivator, who had originally sent the young man to test the waters, quickly stepped forward with a fawning smile upon seeing Lu Zaiye's imposing presence. "Senior, please quell your anger. Please quell your anger, and hear me out."
Lu Zaiye did not reply, merely continuing to fix him with a cold gaze.
The plump cultivator's heart lurched. He maintained a smile on his face and began to explain.
Although he wanted to seize this opportunity to make a small profit, the young man hadn't lied. Li City was indeed not entirely peaceful at the moment.
Someone had set their sights on the position of City Lord of Li City and was currently seizing power. Naturally, the City Lord of Li City would not surrender meekly, and the two sides were locked in a fierce battle.
To prevent the City Lord of Li City from seeking help, the faction attempting to seize power had forcibly shut down the teleportation array leading to Li City.
The teleportation array to Li City that the plump cultivator mentioned was, in fact, one he had hastily constructed with the help of array masters from Meng City over the past three days.
Due to the tight schedule, the teleportation array had not been debugged, and he could not be entirely certain of its flawless operation.
"This is the situation, esteemed seniors. I'm merely stating the facts upfront, as the decision ultimately rests with the two of you."
The plump cultivator was already regretting his decision. Teleportation arrays, after thousands of years of development, were quite refined, but constructing even one still required a significant amount of materials.
He had spared no expense in building the teleportation array to Li City, all for the sake of making a substantial profit from this opportunity.
However, now that he thought about it, if something were to happen to someone during the teleportation, he would not be able to escape responsibility, and he might even end up losing more than he gained.
The more the plump cultivator thought about it, the more distressed he became, his facial expression contorting uncontrollably.
After listening, Lu Zaiye no longer paid attention to the plump cultivator and said to Xu Yi, "This teleportation array has potential hidden dangers. Let's go to the next city to use their teleportation array."
The plump cultivator's face twitched fiercely upon hearing this, but he dared not say anything.
Xu Yi had no objections. However, just as she was about to leave, she noticed the plump cultivator's expression and a thought suddenly crossed her mind, causing her to pause.
She first gave Lu Zaiye a look to calm him down, then smiled at the plump cultivator and asked, "If we can help you perfect this teleportation array, what kind of reward can you offer?"
Both Lu Zaiye and the plump cultivator were taken aback. Did she mean she could repair teleportation arrays?
The meaning in their eyes was too obvious, and Xu Yi nodded with a hint of reserve.
She truly could repair teleportation arrays.
Having nothing else to do in the secret realm, she had learned everything, including a bit about array formations. Later, she received guidance from the elders, and repairing a completed teleportation array was not a problem. She only needed to trace the array to understand the outcome.
"Oh my, oh my, so you are also an array master? Forgive my ignorance."
The plump cultivator's attitude immediately became much more enthusiastic. He hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Senior, I'll be honest with you. This teleportation array has depleted most of my fortune. If you can help me perfect it, I will not only waive your teleportation fee, but I will also give you this."
As he spoke, he held up a hand.
"Five high-grade spirit stones?" Xu Yi probed.
The plump cultivator nodded, a pained expression on his face.
Xu Yi had no intention of actually making money from this. She simply thought that if she could use the teleportation array here, it would save a lot of time, so she nodded decisively, "Alright."
"Senior, this reward..." the plump cultivator began, then stopped, hesitant.
Xu Yi, being perceptive, finished his sentence for him. "Give it to me after I finish fixing the teleportation array."
"Excellent, please follow me this way."
The plump cultivator, his face crinkling into a smile, led Xu Yi towards the teleportation array. Lu Zaiye followed closely behind. The young man, who had been pushed aside earlier, was the last to react and hurried to catch up.
The teleportation arrays in every city were managed by the City Lord's Mansion. The plump cultivator's private construction of a teleportation array was considered poaching business from the City Lord's Mansion.
To avoid detection by the City Lord's Mansion, he had set up the teleportation array in a rather inconspicuous location outside Meng City.
Upon arriving at the site, Xu Yi walked around the teleportation array twice, a look of disdain on her face. "Tsk tsk, who drew this teleportation array? The array patterns are all crooked and wobbly, as if they were starved."
The plump cultivator awkwardly wiped the sweat from his forehead, not daring to mention that he had paid twenty high-grade spirit stones to hire an array master to draw it.
Xu Yi, who had been instructed by an elder of the Xuanji Sect, possessed a much higher level of attainment than ordinary array masters.
With a single glance, she pointed out seven or eight minor issues with the teleportation array and then, rolling up her sleeves, began to correct them.
Lu Zaiye watched Xu Yi, who was so serious and focused, and saw a hint of a certain elder of the Xuanji Sect in her demeanor. A barely perceptible smile flickered in his eyes.
The plump cultivator and the young man, on the other hand, were overjoyed.
Xu Yi's proficient movements clearly showed she wasn't boasting; she could indeed repair this teleportation array.
Although five high-grade spirit stones was a steep price, they could recoup the cost after charging for teleportation a few more times, so it wasn't a loss.
"Who is this brat who dares to tamper with my array!"
Just as Xu Yi was adjusting the position of a spatial stone, she was interrupted by a furious roar, nearly causing her to drop the stone.
She didn't immediately respond to the newcomer but steadily placed the spatial stone in her intended position before clapping her hands and standing up.
In the distance, a middle-aged man, whose cultivation level was indiscernible, was staring at Xu Yi with a face full of rage, as if she had dug up his ancestral grave.
Connecting his words to the situation, Xu Yi knew this person was the one who had set up the teleportation array. She couldn't help but sneer inwardly, his cultivation was lacking, but his temper was quite considerable.
Just as she was about to speak, the plump cultivator rushed forward and bowed repeatedly to the man, apologizing. "Master Gongyang, please calm your anger, please calm your anger. This senior was invited by me. Have a generous heart and do not hold a grudge."
The plump cultivator was inwardly lamenting his misfortune. This Master Gongyang was precisely the array master he had hired to construct the teleportation array. The man was arrogant and narrow-minded, and he feared he had truly offended him this time.
However, he couldn't understand why Master Gongyang, who had claimed to be exhausted from spiritual energy consumption after finishing the teleportation array yesterday and needed several days of rest, had appeared today, and precisely at this moment...
Before the plump cultivator could figure it out, Master Gongyang had already redirected his fury towards him.
"Yuan Dahai, I haven't settled the score with you yet! You were the one who begged me to repair this teleportation array with spirit stones, so what do you mean by this! You're trampling on my Gongyang Hao's reputation!"
Gongyang Hao's eyes seemed to spew fire, and his spit splattered all over Yuan Dahai's face.
Yuan Dahai wanted to dodge but dared not, so he could only passively endure the shower of saliva while repeatedly apologizing.
"You immediately send that brat away, do you hear me!"
Gongyang Hao's final sentence was intentionally amplified with spiritual energy, causing Yuan Dahai's head to buzz.
Upon hearing Gongyang Hao's rude remarks, Lu Zaiye's fingers twitched, but remembering Xu Yi, he halted his action and looked at her. To his surprise, she wasn't annoyed at all but instead showed a look of realization. Reassured, he understood that this junior matriarch must have a plan.