After being reborn, the villain comes with a spoiler tag.

This person was none other than Guan Fengyue, the only friend Long Yucheng had made among the outer disciples of the Qiongshan Sect.

Guan Fengyue spotted Long Yucheng at a glance, and a hint of surprise and disbelief flashed in her eyes.

Just then, two constables had safely escorted the prisoner and were about to report to her when Guan Fengyue waved them back to the government office first, while she strode towards Longyu City.

"Senior Brother Long? It really is you! You're still alive!"

Her voice was filled with undisguised joy.

Before she finished speaking, her gaze fell on Huo Yu and Lian Hu beside Long Yucheng:

"Who are these two?"

Long Yucheng was overjoyed to see his old friend again, but he hadn't forgotten that Huo Yu had used a false identity at the Qiongshan Sect, so he quickly introduced her to Huo Yu.

"This is my current senior brother, Huo Yu. This is Brother Lian Hu from the Dragon Tiger Escort Agency. My senior brother and I are new to this place, and we are very grateful to him for showing us the way."

Upon hearing this, Guan Fengyue suddenly understood, and then bowed to Huo Yu and Lian Hu respectively:

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Huo, and Brother Lian Hu."

Lian Hu quickly returned the greeting with clasped hands, while Huo Yu's divine sense lightly swept over the message "[Passerby A, Hopes are slim]" above Guan Fengyue's head and nodded indifferently.

Guan Fengyue turned to Long Yucheng again, calming her agitated emotions, before saying:

"Senior Brother Long, I still have duties to perform. I will come to catch up with you after I report back. May I ask where Senior Brother Long and Fellow Daoist Huo are staying temporarily?"

Long Yucheng told Guan Fengyue where she would be staying, and then Guan Fengyue bowed and took her leave.

Lian Hu watched Guan Fengyue's retreating figure, his expression filled with undisguised surprise. He then turned to look at Long Yucheng:

"Brother Long, I didn't expect you to know people from the Holy Sect?"

Long Yucheng smiled but didn't say much. Lian Hu also tactfully changed the subject and began to introduce the bamboo-woven bird toys with local characteristics at the nearby stalls.

Perhaps because of the city's connection with the Vermilion Bird, almost half of the toys sold by local vendors and laborers are lifelike and varied bird shapes. The sugar paintings held by children on the street also often feature birds with outstretched wings. Even the uniforms worn by government officials are embroidered with subtle bird patterns.

These bamboo toys, shaped like birds, are so exquisitely crafted that even a modern person like Long Yucheng, who has witnessed the light industry of the 21st century, couldn't help but marvel at them, his eyes filled with amazement.

Upon seeing one of them, Long Yucheng's eyes lit up, and he turned to Huo Yu, saying:

"Senior brother, look at this one, doesn't it look a bit like you?"

"..."

Huo Yu looked in the direction he pointed and saw a wooden mechanical bird. Most of its body was painted black, and only its long feathers were a bright red like burning flames, making it stand out among the bamboo toys.

The bird's claws are resting on raging flames, as if it is about to spread its wings and take flight; its posture is vivid and lifelike.

However, Huo Yu couldn't see any similarity between the black bird and himself.

However, Long Yucheng had already strode towards the stall, and without hesitation took out his silver to buy the little bird, presenting it to Huo Yu like a treasure.

This wooden bird, though smaller than the palm of your hand, holds a hidden secret. With just a tug on its tail feathers, the entire bird seems to come alive, its wings fluttering slightly, lifelike and vivid.

Long Yucheng played with it for a while before carefully putting it into his pocket.

As night fell, Huo Yu and Long Yucheng bid farewell to Lian Hu and returned to the inn, but they did not encounter Guan Fengyue again.

Long Yucheng wasn't overly worried. After all, this was the territory of the Zoroastrian Church, and it was always others who suffered misfortune; there was no reason for Zoroastrian disciples to have any accidents.

Sure enough, the next morning, as Huo Yu and Long Yucheng stepped down the stairs, they saw Guan Fengyue already occupying a quiet corner of the lobby, clearly having been waiting for some time.

The moment they came downstairs, Guan Fengyue keenly spotted them. She then stood up and said with a hint of apology:

"Senior Brother Long, Fellow Daoist Huo, I was unable to arrive as promised yesterday due to being preoccupied with many trivial matters within the sect."

Huo Yu had already noticed that Guan Fengyue was now at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and he figured that she must have had some extraordinary encounters.

After Huo Yu and Long Yucheng took their seats, Guan Fengyue waved her hand and set up a simple array to isolate the surrounding people from prying eyes.

Long Yucheng eagerly raised the question that was on his mind most:

"Junior Sister Guan, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the Qiongshan Sect?"

Guan Fengyue's eyes were slightly red, and her voice carried a hint of sorrow:

"Senior Brother Long, the Qiongshan Sect... is no more."

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Long Yucheng was completely taken aback.

Guan Fengyue's eyes were filled with sorrow as she said:

"On the day you were taken to Beast Taming Valley, a mysterious Taoist riding a five-colored aurora arrived at Qiongshan Sect. Just five breaths later, Qiongshan Sect disappeared from Yin Kingdom forever."

Huo Yu had a general idea in his mind: the Taoist was someone who had lost an avatar and a nascent soul in the Nine Star Secret Realm. Since he could not seek revenge against Huang Xiao, he vented his anger on the three sects that opened the secret realm.

However, Long Yucheng only witnessed the corpse of Huanglong Daoist in Beast Taming Valley that day, and did not know that the high-ranking members of the three sects had been almost completely wiped out. Even without that Daoist, it was only a matter of time before the Qiongshan Sect disappeared from the territory of Yin Kingdom.

Guan Fengyue composed herself and continued:

"The news about the changes in the secret realm and your interrogation by the three sects, Senior Brother Long, has spread like wildfire within the Qiongshan Sect, and everyone knows about it."

"I know that with Senior Brother Long's character and cultivation, he is definitely not the mastermind planted by the demonic path. But I am just a nobody and have no power to change anything. I feel disheartened about the Qiongshan Sect, so I asked for leave to visit my parents."

"Unexpectedly, before I even stepped out of Yincheng, I saw a five-colored aurora streak rushing towards the mountain gate. I waited anxiously in Yincheng for half a month before daring to return, only to find the mountain gate already desolate..."

At this point, Guan Fengyue's voice choked with emotion, and she paused briefly before continuing:

"After that, I left Yincheng, having lost all interest in cultivation. I thought that by cultivating I could transcend the mortal world, but in the eyes of those high-level cultivators, I was no different from ordinary people."

"It was at this time that I heard the legend of Vermilion Bird City, and after many hardships, I arrived here a year ago. It happened to be the Thousand Candles Ceremony, and because I was destined to be with the sacred fire, I was unexpectedly accepted into the Zoroastrian Church."

Upon hearing this, Long Yucheng's expression grew increasingly complicated. Huo Yu, on the other hand, noticed that Guan Fengyue was clearly hiding something, but did not point it out.

Regarding any person or matter connected to Long Yucheng, unless it directly threatens Long Yucheng's life or safety, Huo Yu always adopts a strategy of observing and waiting for developments.

If his previous speculation was correct, and Heaven had already paved the way for Long Yucheng's progress, then it must have arranged other assistance to help him accomplish his mission.

Huo Yu, who accidentally glimpsed the secrets of heaven, was just an unexpected interlude. He wanted to see how the Heavenly Dao would guide Long Yucheng onto the predetermined path if he did not interfere, so as to see what goals the Heavenly Dao expected Long Yucheng to achieve in Vermilion Bird City.

Moreover, with this person present, he undoubtedly has another avenue to gather information about Zoroastrianism.

As expected of Huo Yu, after inquiring about the Qiongshan Sect, Long Yucheng hesitated for a moment before asking Guan Fengyue about the Zoroastrianism:

"Junior Sister Guan, do you know anything about the Zoroastrianism?"

Guan Fengyue was clearly somewhat surprised by Long Yucheng's question, but she still answered:

"I've only been a member of the sect for a year. I wonder what specific aspects of Zoroastrianism Senior Brother Long would like to know?"

After a moment's thought, Long Yucheng blurted out all the questions he wanted to ask:

"Where exactly is the headquarters of the Zoroastrian Church? Approximately how many people are there? What level of cultivation has the highest-ranking member reached? Most importantly, how do they freely use spiritual power within Vermilion Bird City?"