In the following days, the Bai family was indeed in chaos, barely able to manage their own affairs.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yiyi peacefully cultivated in her small courtyard, occasionally handling messages brought back by Liuzi. Nothing unexpected occurred.

At first, Zheng He was worried that the Bai family might secretly take action against Zhang Yiyi again, especially since she was no longer under his direct supervision. He could not fully rely on the two subordinates assigned to protect and communicate with her secretly.

However, as the Bai family became overwhelmed with their own troubles, it was clear they had no intention of targeting a small figure like Zhang Yiyi anymore. With this realization, Zheng He gradually relaxed.

As for the auction, due to the unrest in Jiagu Guan City in recent days, the City Lord's mansion had one issue after another to address, leaving Zheng He, the Young City Lord, with no free time.

"Sister Han, I've found them. The people you were looking for indeed entered the Bai family's Liuyun Mine in the Black Marsh more than half a year ago. At least two rogue cultivators have clear memories of them, and it's said that they did not die in the mine."

One day, Liuzi ran back excitedly to report the information he had painstakingly uncovered to Zhang Yiyi.

Though it had been over half a year, cultivators' memories differed from ordinary people, so the possibility of mistakes was very slim.

"Are you saying that the three of them entered the Black Marsh together?"

After hearing Liuzi's report, Zhang Yiyi felt something was off. "Are you sure the rogue cultivators who entered the mine with them weren't lying?"

According to Liuzi, at that time, the mine in the Black Marsh was not as dangerous as it is now, and many who went into the mine were able to come out alive. It wasn't surprising that someone could confirm the three outer disciples of the Yunxian Sect entered the Bai family's mine more than half a year ago and survived.

But what was strange was that these three outer disciples of the Yunxian Sect didn't know each other initially, so why did they all come to Jiagu Guan City at the same time and agree to work as miners for the Bai family?

It was worth noting that more than half a year ago, the pay offered by the Bai family was far lower than it is now, and mining was not a particularly lucrative task. As disciples of a major sect, even as outer disciples, it was unlikely they would lower themselves to work as temporary miners for such a meager profit.

Furthermore, if the information was accurate and they safely left the Bai family's mine, why had there been no news of them since? Where did they go after leaving? What happened? Were they dead or alive?

Zhang Yiyi suddenly felt that the situation was getting more and more mysterious. What initially seemed like a simple search task had now become puzzling, making her wonder if the sect's reward was too low.

"Sister Han, don't worry. At least the confirmed information should be accurate. After all, many of those who entered the mine at that time are still alive, and I didn't rely on just one source to verify this."

Liuzi thought for a moment before adding, "However, after they left the Bai family's mine, their whereabouts became a mystery. It's as if all clues suddenly disappeared, making it impossible to track them further."

Seeing this, Zhang Yiyi knew that Liuzi had done his best.

The good news was that they finally had a solid lead on the three individuals. The bad news was that all clues had ended at the same point.

For now, it seemed the three's disappearance was unlikely to be directly connected to the Bai family. Zhang Yiyi could shift her investigative focus; perhaps there was nothing particularly unusual here, and the three may have simply encountered some unexpected incident.

While Zhang Yiyi was busy sorting through other useful clues from Liuzi's collected information, the Bai family suddenly came knocking at Liuzi's courtyard door.

"Sister Han, the Bai family's head sent someone to invite you to the mansion. He wants to personally ask you about the situation in the Liuyun Mine within the Black Marsh."

When Liuzi knocked on Zhang Yiyi's door again, his face was extremely grave.

Even though the Bai family's people were very polite, with no intention of forcing their way in, and were respectfully waiting outside, Liuzi was still deeply worried.

In recent days, the Bai family had been unable to conceal the huge incident at their mine. The constant wave of accusations against them for being heartless and ruthless had severely damaged the Bai family's reputation.

Not to mention the conspiracy theories fueled by their enemies or competitors, which had plunged the Bai family into an unprecedented crisis.

As Zheng He had predicted, if the Bai family could not present a convincing resolution to the situation, it would inevitably affect their standing and development in Jiagu Pass City.

In the worst-case scenario, the Bai family might fall from a first-tier family in Jiagu Guan City to second or third-tier, or even be removed from the city entirely.

And at such a critical time, the Bai family head personally sent someone to invite Zhang Yiyi, intending to inquire further about her experience in the Liuyun Mine. This raised suspicions about the Bai family's motives.

But the issue was that the Bai family had not used any underhanded tactics. The family head had personally invited her, leaving Zhang Yiyi with no reason to refuse.

Because of this, even the two bodyguards Zheng He had assigned to Zhang Yiyi couldn't stop the invitation.

"The Bai family head wants to see me personally?"

Zhang Yiyi instinctively repeated the message, but she wasn't too surprised.

It seemed that the Bai family was truly desperate. Otherwise, the family head wouldn't personally step in to question someone as insignificant as her.

"Yes, the Bai family's people are waiting outside for your response."

Liuzi relayed the message as it was.

Zhang Yiyi nodded. Since they were waiting for her response, it meant the Bai family had made their stance clear—they weren't forcing her to go, nor would they harm her. They simply hoped she would cooperate with their investigation.

If she refused, it would make her seem suspicious.

So, in reality, Zhang Yiyi had no choice. She nodded and signaled Liuzi to go out and inform the Bai family to wait for her briefly.

"Maoqiu, do you want to come with me? If you do, you'll have to stay in the beast pouch obediently."

After Liuzi left, Zhang Yiyi asked Maoqiu for its opinion.

"Of course! Wherever you go, I go!"

Maoqiu didn't even hesitate, immediately expressing its strong desire to accompany her. After all, the female cultivator it had bonded with was still so weak and worrisome!

Just like last time in the Black Marsh—if it hadn't been there, Zhang Yiyi would have been devoured by those disgusting creatures long ago. It didn't want its only hope of returning home to encounter any problems.

Of course, it didn't bother to reveal its true thoughts, as it considered itself too superior to argue with a small female cultivator. After all, it was a mighty beast king.

After Maoqiu voluntarily slipped into the beast pouch, Zhang Yiyi revealed a confident smile.

Habit really does become second nature. Her little Maoqiu was becoming more obedient and considerate.

With no further delay, Zhang Yiyi left Liuzi's small courtyard and followed the Bai family's messenger to the Bai family estate.

Upon meeting the Bai family head, Zhang Yiyi couldn't help but scrutinize him closely.

The so-called head of the Bai family looked like a young man barely out of his teens, with delicate features and an overall scholarly demeanor, giving him an approachable air.

Of course, this impression only held if one ignored the deep, unreadable glint in his eyes.

"Please have a seat, Miss Han. I apologize for the sudden invitation. I simply wish to ask you personally about the situation inside the Liuyun Mine, so our family can handle the matter better. I hope you don't mind."

The Bai family head's attitude was very cordial, treating Zhang Yiyi like a guest with politeness and consideration.

However, Zhang Yiyi wasn't lulled into relaxing just because of his politeness.

This Bai family head was a Nascent Soul cultivator, a whole realm higher than her own grandfather, the head of the Zhang family in Nan'an. If such a person truly had no temper or airs about him, the Bai family wouldn't have disregarded lives and continued sending unsuspecting rogue cultivators into the increasingly dangerous mine.

"Thank you for your courtesy, Senior Bai. I will speak truthfully to the best of my ability."

Noticing that the Bai family head had revealed her true identity as a female cultivator but hadn't scolded her for masquerading as a male, Zhang Yiyi decided to get straight to the point.

The Bai family head, seeing Zhang Yiyi's calm composure and lack of fear, knew immediately that she wasn't just an ordinary rogue cultivator.

He narrowed his eyes slightly but didn't press the issue. Nodding, he continued, "To be honest, since discovering the problems in the mine, the Bai family has sent three groups of people to try and eliminate the mutated ants, but none have returned. The losses have been heavy, yet the situation hasn't improved. In fact, it's getting worse. So..."

 At this point, the head of the Bai family looked at Zhang Yiyi, full of hope: "Since Miss Han was able to escape from such a dangerous situation, and even had the strength to bring another person with her, it is clear that she possesses exceptional abilities and not just ordinary luck. For this reason, I hope Miss Han will help our Bai family overcome this difficulty, and we will certainly reward you generously."   

"Senior Bai, your words truly make this junior feel uneasy. I have no such exceptional abilities, and it was merely by luck that I escaped last time."   

Zhang Yiyi remained composed as she replied, "As I explained before, the reason I was able to escape last time was, first, because Fellow Daoist Shi, who was with me, noticed something was wrong and immediately turned back with me, so we didn't go too deep. Second, I had benefited from Young City Lord Zheng and others, obtaining many valuable items. In the end, I had to sacrifice almost all of my belongings to force a bloody path out. I really don't have the ability to help the Bai family with anything; Senior Bai is overestimating me."   

It wasn't just an overestimation, it was clearly putting her in a difficult position.   

A problem that an entire powerful family couldn't solve, and they wanted her, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, to assist? Zhang Yiyi couldn't believe the head of the Bai family would be so naive and ridiculous as to pin his hopes on her.   

This only confused her about the Bai family's intentions. Surely, they didn't want to force her to enter the Liuyun Mine in the Black Marsh again, right?   

"Miss Han, please don't misunderstand. I'm not trying to put you in a difficult position, nor do I expect you to enter the mine again for our Bai family. I merely hope that Miss Han can carefully recall the events of that day and see if you can offer any effective suggestions that might help minimize the Bai family's losses."   

The head of the Bai family immediately explained after noticing Zhang Yiyi's thoughts.   

With this clarification, the Bai family's request seemed entirely reasonable. There was no pressure or ill intent involved.   

Seeing this, Zhang Yiyi had no reason to refuse. After thinking for a moment, she did provide a few practical suggestions.   

First, the cultivators who enter the mine experience strange limitations and suppression on their cultivation, but the ant queen does not. The current ant queen is of the fifth rank and has countless offspring to act as shields, so her actual power far exceeds that of a typical fifth-rank demon beast.   

Second, inside the mine, the ant queen has a special ability that renders ordinary talismans ineffective, so using talismans on a large scale to exterminate the mutated ants is not feasible.   

Third, self-destructing magical treasures are not affected within the mine, so Zhang Yiyi believes that thunder orbs are the most effective and deadly weapons inside, but this is only limited to dealing with the mutated ants. As for how many thunder orbs would be needed, it's impossible to estimate since she doesn't know how many mutated ants there are inside.   

In summary, Zhang Yiyi felt that it would be difficult for the Bai family to completely wipe out the mutated ants, but that was all the information she could provide. Anything more would only cause trouble for herself.   

After all, if she revealed that the ants had mutated due to some unknown special substance beneath the mine and that this was the reason they were growing stronger, Zhang Yiyi wouldn't be able to explain how she knew that.   

Delving further into the matter would only expose Maoqiu and reveal everything they had done in that mine.   

Zhang Yiyi didn't feel guilty about hiding this from the Bai family. If the Bai family hadn't been greedy and indifferent to human life, they would have stopped mining and eliminated the danger as soon as the ants began mutating. The situation would never have escalated to this point.   

In other words, it was only right for the Bai family to deal with the consequences of their own actions.   

After hearing Zhang Yiyi's suggestions, the head of the Bai family pondered for a moment, appearing to seriously consider her words.   

Then, he asked a few more questions that didn't put Zhang Yiyi in a difficult position. It seemed that the purpose of today's meeting was genuinely just to resolve the problem.   

In the end, after a normal exchange, the head of the Bai family said no more. In fact, he even presented a generous gift of thanks before politely seeing Zhang Yiyi out.   

Seeing Zhang Yiyi leave the Bai family unharmed, the two people secretly waiting outside to protect her immediately sent a message of safety to their master, no longer as anxious and worried as they had been before.   

As Zhang Yiyi walked along the street back to her small courtyard, she carefully recalled her conversation with the head of the Bai family and felt that perhaps she had been overthinking things.   

Just as she was thinking this, a figure suddenly flashed in front of her, rushing toward the city gate in a panic.   

Zhang Yiyi's heart skipped a beat, and without thinking, she immediately followed