Chapter 3050: Dinner With Elyon And His Search

Lin Mu nodded, then passed the jade slip to Elyon.

"The place you mentioned is real. Confirmed by both the Sect and the Temple. It’s the Ashen Forest. What we thought was metaphorical? ’The Drowned Crescent swallowed by the gullet of the earth’? Turns out it was literal."

Elyon read through the slip, his brow lifting slightly as he saw the same name appear again and again. "So that forest lake is what’s left of their base?"

"Most likely," Lin Mu confirmed. "But even if it’s filled with water... the ruins beneath it might still exist."

Elyon tilted his head. "Wouldn’t they have been flooded?"

"Maybe. But there are ways to seal off chambers even after destruction. Formations, stasis seals... It’s possible that something still survived down there."

The wolfkin looked thoughtful. "I can scout the perimeter. If I can find traces of recent movement—or cult activity—I’ll track them."

"We’ll go with you," Lin Mu said.

"No offense," Elyon replied, "but with that sword intent of yours, you kind of glow like a spirit beacon. If they see you coming, they’ll vanish."

Daoist Chu walked in just then, chuckling as he poured himself a cup of wine. "He’s not wrong."

"Then I’ll wait until we have a location," Lin Mu agreed. "You can lead us in."

Elyon stood and rolled his shoulders. "All right. I’ll leave at dawn."

As he turned to leave, Lin Mu called out, "One more thing. Stay here tonight."

The wolfkin blinked. "Why?"

"You’re with us now. No point paying for that rat-hole inn again."

Elyon hesitated, then finally gave a short, reluctant smile. "I suppose the wine is better here."

He left the room to rest while Lin Mu sat back in silence, gazing out at the falling dusk.

The pieces were forming. The cult was real. The threat was growing. And now, they had a direction.

Next stop: Ashen Forest.

Whatever secrets the Drowned Crescent Cult had left behind... they were one step closer to finding them.

The golden glow of evening sunlight bathed the top floors of the Courtyard, where the gentle hum of immortal-grade cooking arrays created a warm, fragrant atmosphere. For once, there was no tension in the air—no whispers of cults or assassins, no looming sense of urgency.

Tonight, they were hosting a proper dinner for Elyon.

Daoist Chu had personally selected the dishes from the Pavilion’s premium immortal kitchen—roast spirit crane in moon-fruit glaze, starfire lotus stew, and spirit rice steamed in phoenix crane broth.

The wine was an aged variant from the Xian Sword Sect’s private cellars: Amber Wind Nectar, said to relax the spirit and soothe the meridians. Lin Mu had casually handed over a few immortal stones earlier, and the staff had brought out bottles that most cultivators could only dream of seeing.

They could’ve gotten Little Shrubby to cook for them, but reckoned the wolfkin had enough surprise for a while. Besides the kitten was busy soaking in the energy of flames and Lin Mu didn’t want to disturb him.

Elyon, for his part, was caught off guard. The wolfkin sat at the edge of the table, uncertain at first, sipping wine in small doses while sniffing every dish like a hunter before the first bite. His beastkin instincts made him cautious around unfamiliar scents, but once he had a taste, he fell quiet—chewing slowly, tail twitching once behind him in quiet approval.

Meng Bai grinned at the sight. "Not bad, right?"

"I’ve been paid with gold, gems, immortal tokens, and even a star essence pearl once," Elyon muttered, holding up another bite of roast. "But this... might be the first time I’ve been paid in luxury."

Daoist Chu raised a cup with a chuckle. "Welcome to traveling with Lin Mu."

Lin Mu, lounging back with a cup of wine in one hand, gave a faint smile. "Consider it a small thank-you in advance. Your talents may be the key to finding those elders."

Ashy chirped from Meng Bai’s shoulder, while the twin snakes flicked their tongues, curled near Elyon’s feet. He had learned early not to let their glowing eyes intimidate him—they had their own share of sass and mischief.

Thankfully the twins had long since learned to contain their bloodline aura, or the sheer force of their aura might send the wolfkin hiding under a couch. The effect was a lot stronger with a beastkin after all.

After dinner, they all sat for a while on the Pavilion’s wide balcony under the night sky, talking about old legends, strange beasts, and the weirdest bounties Elyon had taken.

The wolfkin surprised even Daoist Chu with tales of a bounty that once involved retrieving a cursed pillow from a mad sect elder who thought it could speak to him.

By the time they parted ways for the night, there was an unspoken camaraderie formed—silent, firm, and genuine.

The next morning, Elyon departed. His silhouette faded into the morning smog, cloak billowing gently as he took off toward the southern wilds.

One Week Later

The days passed with silent intensity.

Lin Mu kept communication lines open with the Xian Sword Sect and the Silent Lotus Temple, requesting additional records, contacts, or even scouting teams.

Meng Bai helped by sending letters to disciples and people Elder Dugu Ciu of the Hawk Eye Sword Sect knew, while Daoist Chu inquired through the immortal merchant houses and cultivator guilds.

But little came in.

That is, until Elyon returned.

It was early evening when he appeared at the Pavilion gates, still cloaked in dark grey, though his usually clean coat of fur was dusted with soil and ash. He looked tired, and yet, there was a sharpness to his eyes—one that said he wasn’t returning empty-handed.

Lin Mu, Meng Bai, and Daoist Chu met him in the main hall.

"You’re back," Lin Mu said simply.

"I found something," Elyon replied, accepting a warm spirit broth as he sat.

He explained that the tracks near the Ashen Forest had initially led him on a promising trail, but they soon splintered into confusing patterns—circles, sudden breaks, false paths. Classic signs of someone trying to throw off a pursuer.

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