You don't want your secret to be revealed by others, right?

The afternoon.

Beiyuan Village, tea house.

At a tea table in the corner of the tea house, Lin Yue poured a cup of tea and pushed it to the man dressed as a hunter sitting opposite, smiling, "Just some simple tea, Brother Jing, please don't mind."

The man with the surname Jing hurriedly accepted the teacup with both hands, slightly humble, and said, "Brother Li is willing to invite Jing to tea, how could Jing possibly refuse?"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but glance again at the table not far away, where a beautiful lady with a graceful demeanor was sipping tea elegantly.

The man with the surname Jing cautiously probed, "I wonder if Brother Li and Her Highness the Seventh Princess are…"

"Good friends."

Lin Yue smiled calmly.

The Seventh Princess glanced at him from a distance but said nothing.

The man with the surname Jing believed him, after all, he had witnessed this man named Li Shiyu walking and talking pleasantly with the Seventh Princess, whom he had once been fortunate enough to see.

"I see." The man with the surname Jing gained a little more respect for this unknown man in front of him.

To be friends with a princess, even if he seemed ordinary, was not someone he could afford to offend.

"Brother Li mentioned that you needed my assistance; how might Jing help you?"

The man with the surname Jing said, "To be honest with Brother Li, Jing will have been here for almost a year soon, and I will have to leave Beiyuan Mountain; I'm afraid I can't help you much."

Lin Yue smiled; he had found this out long ago.

He pondered for a moment and said, "May I ask if Brother Jing has another chance to enter Beiyuan Mountain?"

"A second time?"

The man with the surname Jing was taken aback and said, "I've heard the second chance to enter Beiyuan Mountain is extremely rare; it requires considerable talent and costs a thousand big money in Beiyuan Village…"

He shook his head helplessly, "Jing has already given up on it."

Lin Yue nodded slightly and said, "If that's the case, Brother Jing would certainly be able to help me."

He didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "To be frank, I and the Seventh Princess suspect the ghostly happenings in Beiyuan Village might be a great opportunity, and we plan to investigate."

"Ghostly happenings in Beiyuan Village?" The man with the surname Jing was stunned.

Everyone knew that Beiyuan Mountain hid many opportunities; the ghostly issue was almost unsolvable, forcing outsiders to spend money to stay, clearly hiding a chance.

However, it also obviously required great risk.

"I see…" The man with the surname Jing realized, "How does Brother Li intend for Jing to assist?"

Lin Yue immediately said, "I thought since Brother Jing is about to leave Beiyuan Mountain and won't return, could you try to draw out the ghost in Beiyuan Village at night for the Seventh Princess and me?"

This was his plan.

— A chance to see the ghost.

Of course, it might be that mortals simply couldn't see ghosts, but it had to be tried, and there were special ways to let mortals see Spiritual Bodies.

This needed a little guinea pig to act as bait to lure out the ghost.

The man with the surname Jing was astonished, then said, "So that's Brother Li's plan, but…"

He hesitated and said, "Jing has also gained some things in Beiyuan Village, perhaps opportunities; if I die here, I can't take them out."

Lin Yue understood his concerns.

The things obtained in Beiyuan Village, even if treasures, would be suppressed as ordinary items and could only reveal their true form once taken out of Beiyuan Mountain.

It was a gamble.

Perhaps an ordinary stone found on the roadside was a powerful treasure, or contained a mysterious inheritance?

"What are they?"

Lin Yue said, "I can take them out for Brother Jing when I leave."

Then he added, "With the Seventh Princess as witness, Brother Jing can rest assured."

"In that case…"

The man with the surname Jing immediately nodded, "I will follow Brother Li's wishes, and I can get ready tonight."

"Good." Lin Yue said, "We'll await Brother Jing tonight."

After the man with the surname Jing left, Lin Yue sat opposite the Seventh Princess, clasping his hands together, "Thank you, Your Highness, for cooperating with me."

"I didn't do anything; did you say anything wrong?" The Seventh Princess glanced at him.

She continued, "But do you really intend to investigate the ghostly matter?"

"Of course." Lin Yue nodded slightly, "A great opportunity like this is right before us; how can we not try?"

"In fact, quite a few cultivators have already tried."

The Seventh Princess said, "Some cultivators with no chance to enter again let their companions take out what they found, then went themselves to draw out the village ghost, but no one could gather information about it."

Lin Yue deliberately asked, "Has anyone seen what the ghost looks like?"

He of course knew there had been sightings, but he wasn't supposed to know.

"There have been; it's said the ghost wears a bamboo hat and carries a bag, seemingly collecting living souls." The Seventh Princess did not hide the truth.

Lin Yue pondered.

He already knew what the ghost looked like, but knowing didn't help; without seeing it himself, knowing such vague information made triggering secrets unlikely.

So, witnessing it firsthand was best.

"But why don't you catch a mountain bandit?" The Seventh Princess asked.

"I certainly thought of that."

Lin Yue said, "But I found out the village doesn't allow mountain bandits in, even if they are caught and brought in, and besides, bandits are native to Beiyuan Mountain, who knows if it would work? These ghostly events are clearly aimed at outsiders."

The key was, bandits wouldn't cooperate with him to willingly face death.