That person, naturally, was Feng Youyu. Feng Youyu had arrived in this region around the same time as him, so it was likely she would appear somewhere in this area.
He was currently without any backing, and finding Feng Youyu on his own would be difficult. If he could get the Shangguan family to help, he might be able to find her quickly.
As for rewards, the Shangguan family’s compensation would likely be substantial.
However, in the eyes of the Shangguan family, he was merely there to wear down their opponents, so they wouldn’t offer him much.
It would be better to seize this opportunity and have the Shangguan family help him find someone.
If, in the end, they truly needed his strength to defeat their opponent, then to win him over, the Shangguan family would likely still offer him some reward even after helping him find the person.
“Find someone?” Hearing Lin Xiao’s words, Shangguan Tong was momentarily stunned.
“Yes, a friend who came with me. I believe she should be in this region,” Lin Xiao nodded.
“If it’s within this region, it shouldn’t be difficult for our Shangguan family to find someone. But are you sure you only want us to find someone and not take any reward for fighting for our Shangguan family?” Shangguan Tong asked, seeking confirmation.
Many people would dream of receiving the Shangguan family’s rewards, after all, they were a spirit controller clan with plenty of high-grade elixirs.
Yet, Lin Xiao only wanted information on finding someone, which was clearly far less valuable than a reward.
This surprised Shangguan Tong.
“Absolutely!” Lin Xiao nodded, his tone firm.
“Very well, it’s a deal!” Shangguan Tong immediately nodded in agreement.
The others, however, showed looks of disdain. He hadn’t even passed the test with Wen Ruo yet, and he was already making conditions, and such a condition was merely to find someone.
They couldn’t help but reassess Lin Xiao. As expected, he was from a small place, acting like a country bumpkin.
This completely ruled out the possibility of Lin Xiao being a spy.
After a brief discussion, Lin Xiao continued travelling with the Shangguan family’s group. A few days later, areas with signs of human activity occasionally appeared in their line of sight.
This region was an endless plain. Though there were no cities, there were many places with clusters of buildings.
And the further they went, the more buildings they saw.
With the group’s strength and chosen route, no one stopped them along the way.
After another half day, when the sun was high in the sky, a group of people suddenly flew towards Lin Xiao’s group from the void above a completely uninhabited area.
“The Ouyang family!” Shangguan Tong and the Shangguan family members frowned, immediately halting.
Soon, the approaching group reached a spot not far from Lin Xiao and the others.
This group also consisted of over a dozen people, their cultivation levels similar to those of the Shangguan family, though they lacked a Martial Emperor powerhouse.
However, these individuals all exuded vibrant energy, likely spirit controllers, just like the Shangguan family’s group.
At the forefront, in the centre, stood a young man around twenty-five years old. He was robust and handsome, dressed in flowing white robes, with an air of elegance and a carefree, untainted demeanour.
Clearly, this young man was the leader of the group.
Upon seeing Shangguan Tong and her group, a lascivious glint flashed in the young man’s eyes as he stared directly at Shangguan Tong, ignoring everyone else.
“Tong’er, what a coincidence, meeting you here!” the white-robed young man greeted with a smile.
“Ouyang Chen!” Seeing this young man, Shangguan Tong’s eyes narrowed, her face showing disgust.
The other Shangguan family members also glared at the opposing group with grim expressions.
The Ouyang family members returned cold stares, as if the two sides were utterly incompatible.
“Tong’er…” Ouyang Chen was about to say something when Shangguan Tong interrupted, “Don’t call me Tong’er. I’m not close to you.”
“Heh!” Ouyang Chen chuckled and said, “We’ll soon be married, so it’s only natural for us to be close.”
“What did you say?” Shangguan Tong’s eyes flashed with cold light, looking ready to fight. The other Shangguan family members also showed anger on their faces.
Unfazed by Shangguan Tong and her group’s hostility, Ouyang Chen smiled calmly and said, “Your grandfather has already agreed. In this competition, if you lose, you’ll marry me, uniting our families. If we lose, our Ouyang family will give you one of our two major medicinal mountains, Purple Ginseng Mountain.”
“What!” Shangguan Tong was furious, her face full of disbelief. The Shangguan family had used her marriage as a stake?
The other Shangguan family members were equally shocked.
The grey-robed elder angrily said, “How could our family head use Tong’er’s marriage as a stake? Ouyang Chen, stop spouting nonsense!”
“Your Shangguan family’s stake is Tong’er and North Qinyin Mountain. Our Ouyang family’s stake is Purple Ginseng Mountain. The betting contract is set. If you don’t believe me, you can go back and ask.”
Ouyang Chen smiled and said to Shangguan Tong, “Tong’er, this time, our Ouyang family has gone all out, even putting up Purple Ginseng Mountain. Even if someone disagrees, it can’t be changed. But rest assured, I’ll do everything in my power to marry you.”
“You!” Shangguan Tong was so angry her eyes nearly turned red, her chest heaving.
“Five days from now, at the competition, it’ll be the day our two families unite, Tong’er. See you then!” Seeing the group on the verge of acting, Ouyang Chen smiled, said no more, and waved to his group, saying, “Let’s go!”
With that, the group veered off in an arc and flew away, soon disappearing from sight.
“The Ouyang family is even using Purple Ginseng Mountain as a stake, Tong’er, this matter…” the grey-robed elder said with some concern.
“Uncle Grandfather, I don’t believe my grandfather would use my marriage as a stake. Let’s go,” Shangguan Tong said with anger and determination.
The group didn’t believe it either. Shangguan Tong was the Shangguan family’s top genius, the hope of their generation. It seemed impossible for the family to use her as a stake.
Purple Ginseng Mountain was also one of the Ouyang family’s two main medicinal mountains, tied to nearly half their medicinal resources and strength. It seemed unlikely they’d use it as a stake.
However, since Ouyang Chen had said as much, it likely wasn’t baseless.
“Whether it’s true or not, we’ll know when we get back,” the group thought to themselves, following Shangguan Tong with anger as they hurriedly pressed forward.
Lin Xiao was slightly surprised. Staking medicinal mountains and marriages showed that the internal affairs of spirit controller clans and the relationship between the two families were quite complex.
However, since this was an internal matter between the Shangguan family and the two clans, he didn’t need to get involved.
Knowing the group was upset, Lin Xiao stayed silent throughout the flight, keeping quiet.
