The group got up early the next morning and prepared to set off to the Jian Chu Sect. Since everything had already been discussed with Elder Fa, they merely told a disciple when they were done and then left.

This time, Mei Chao Bing kept back and let Song Mu take the lead since he was the one in charge of bringing the message to the Jian Chu Sect anyway.

Without the two junior martial brothers, their journey seemed much more relaxed. Nobody was harping on everything that Mei Chao Bing did and everybody took care of some tasks, working hand-in-hand. In this way, they reached the Jian Chu Sect barely a week later.

The camp was erected on a small, stony hill, letting them overlook the plane around them far into the distance. Nobody would be able to get close to them without them knowing.

Naturally, that also included the group of disciples from the Teng Yong Sect. Once again, they were greeted by two disciples that scrutinized them upon arrival, asking for them to identify themselves.

Song Mu cupped his fists and then took out his identification tablet to prove that he was a disciple of the Teng Yong Sect. After all, he had already learned from what had happened with the people of the Zhen Yan Sect the other time. It would be best if they didn’t have that kind of problem again.

The disciples looked the jade tablet over and then slowly nodded. "Very well. So you are here to see Elder Cai?"

Song Mu nodded and then put his jade tablet away. "Indeed. We bring a message from our sect. As for the details, I’m afraid I can’t tell you."

The disciple nodded, not making a big fuss about it. "Alright, follow me then." He waved and then went to one of the huts that had been built in the middle of the hill, knocking on the door. "Elder Cai, there is a group of disciples from the Teng Yong Sect, saying that they have brought a message from their Elders."

"Send them in."

The disciple motioned toward them and then opened the door before standing outside and crossing his arms in front of his chest, keeping guard.

Song Mu went to the front and once again cupped his fists, bowing to the Elder. "Greetings, Elder Cai. We have been sent by Elder Baili and Elder Xing to bring you a message." He reached into his spatial bag and took out the letter, handing it to the Elder when he waved for him to come closer.

He took the letter out of the envelope and then read it over, his brows slightly raising higher. Finally, he raised his gaze to the disciples in front of him, leaning back in his seat. "Do you know what is written inside the letter?"

Song Mu shook his head. "Not in detail, no. We are aware of some of the findings though since we were involved in that."

Elder Cai nodded slowly and then tapped the armrest of his chair. "It says here that one of the things you found was the symbol of our Jian Chu Sect. What exactly do you know about that?"

Thankfully, Song Mu had been in the group that found the symbol so he could answer the question himself and didn’t need to refer to any of the others. "That day, our group was scouring the territory that we were in charge of. We came upon something that looked like an old ruin with some buildings and a square half-submerged in the sand. The Jian Chu Sect’s symbol was hidden underneath some kind of stone chest barely above the ground level."

"A chest? Was there something stored inside?"

Song Mu shook his head. "No. It was completely empty. In fact, calling it a chest might be a little too much. It was open on one side so there was nothing there but sand. I cannot say for sure what might be beneath the sand though."

Elder Cai gave a hum and seemed to be deep in thought. He didn’t know what this was about but he didn’t like the sound of it. "The other sects have been informed, yes?"

Song Mu nodded. "We’ve just come from the Zhen Yan Sect’s camp. Another group has been sent north to inform the Li Ren Sect as well. They probably should’ve arrived there by now."

Elder Cai nodded once again, keeping his gaze trained on the letter. He didn’t know what to do about this. It was good that they had been informed but without seeing this for himself and not having any other clues, it was difficult to say what they should do about this. Ah, he really didn’t like this kind of news.

"Very well, I know now. Thank your Elders for informing me. We will investigate on our side if there are any similar occurrences. As soon as we find something or are able to make sure that there is nothing of the like here, I will have somebody deliver a message to the Teng Yong Sect."

Song Mu inclined his head. "Thank you very much, Elder Cai."

The Elder looked at the group, his gaze passing over everyone the same, not even stopping at Mei Chao Bing’s face as if he hadn’t recognized him. "You’ve been traveling for several days I imagine. You should rest here for a while before you go back. Maybe that way, we will also have some news already when you leave. I guess that would be for the best in terms of informing the other sects. Our disciples would be able to travel along with you immediately. That would mean that everyone is more secure. With this …" He raised the letter, sighing once again. "I’m afraid we can’t be careful enough."

Song Mu nodded once again. "Thank you for the offer. Then we won’t be polite."

The Elder called for one of the disciples to bring them to one of the huts before he turned back to the letter and started to devise a plan on how to proceed. Meanwhile, Song Mu and the others went to take another rest.