Chapter 434

433. Chapter 428: All Crows Are Black

After leaving Qianyuan Immortal Villa, Ding Huan looked at the little boy before him. "What's your name? How old are you?"

"I'm Lu Bosi, eight years old." The boy's eyes held sorrow, but he hid it extremely well; his reply to Ding Huan was crisp and clear.

Ding Huan was secretly stunned—an eight-year-old child, already in the Primordial Soul realm? Even with countless immortal spirits, this talent was terrifying.

He himself was just entering elementary school at eight. People really couldn't be compared.

"Who is Lu Chongdao to you?"

Lu Bosi answered: "He's my grandfather."

"Was your grandfather killed too?" Ding Huan thought—someone who founded an immortal villa couldn't possibly be killed so easily, could he?

Lu Bosi snorted: "They dreamed of it. Because my grandfather was captured, they dared come to Qianyuan Immortal Villa and kill my parents."

Though he tried to conceal his hatred, Lu Bosi was still only a child; when speaking of his parents' murder, he clenched his fists tightly.

"Why was your grandfather captured?"

……

Fortunately, though young, Lu Bosi already had a mature worldview. After talking with Ding Huan for a long while, he finally made him understand what had happened.

Lu Bosi's grandfather, Lu Chongdao, was upright and intolerant of corruption.

Logically, such a person shouldn't be suited for officialdom, yet he was still a loose official of the Immortal Court.

Immortal Court loose officials were merely nominal posts, usually uninvolved in affairs, so Lu Chongdao had lived a carefree life.

But a year ago, an incident occurred in the Immortal Court: the husband of Bu Bu Yingyin, daughter of Immortal Chancellor Bu Yue, Xiu Lun, died suddenly.

Xiu Lun's father, Kuishui Division's Standard-Bearer Xiu Xu, petitioned Emperor Wu Chang, claiming his son's sudden death was due to Bu Bu Yingyin's infidelity and collusion with a lover to scheme against Xiu Lun.

This enraged Bu Yue.

Though Bu Yue wasn't second only to the emperor in the Immortal Court, he was unquestionably a powerful figure.

Xiu Xu, though also a Standard-Bearer of the Thirty-Six Divisions, was vastly inferior in status to Bu Yue.

Emperor Wu Chang was deeply troubled and handed the case to the Immortal Court's Law Department for investigation.

Ying Fang, the Standard-Bearer of the Law Department, was cunning and unwilling to offend either side, so he claimed that since both his Law Department and Kuishui Division were among the Thirty-Six Standard-Bearers, he should recuse himself.

Emperor Wu Chang then asked who would temporarily take over Ying Fang's position to preside over the case.

Naturally, no one wanted this hot potato.

Then someone recommended Lu Chongdao, and Emperor Wu Chang assigned Lu Chongdao to investigate the case—this fool didn't even refuse.

Ding Huan was speechless upon hearing this.

How many people would he offend?

First, he offended Ying Fang—the Law Department's Standard-Bearer, who had offered such a ridiculous excuse to recuse himself.

You're the one in charge of law—how can you claim recusal and still control the law?

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Second, he offended Bu Yue.

Whether or not Bu Bu Yingyin was unfaithful, taking the case meant he had to investigate Bu Bu Yingyin.

Bu Bu Yingyin was Bu Yue's daughter—how could he allow a loose official to investigate her? Wouldn't that humiliate Bu Yue?

Third, he offended Xiu Xu.

If you took the case and did nothing, Xiu Xu would naturally be dissatisfied, thinking you were incompetent, occupying the position, and failing to deliver justice for Xiu Lun.

And so, less than a year after taking the case, Lu Chongdao was imprisoned on charges of insubordination and embezzlement.

With the chief investigator imprisoned, the case was naturally suspended indefinitely.

It seemed the Immortal Court was a complete mess, full of corruption.

But that had nothing to do with him—he just needed a quiet place to cultivate.

"Lu Bosi, do you have anywhere to go? I'll take you there—I'm leaving too," Ding Huan said, looking at Lu Bosi.

Lu Bosi shook his head: "I have nowhere to go, Elder. If you send me away today, I'll probably be killed by someone's blade tomorrow."

Ding Huan hesitated, then said: "I'm going to Tianjie to survive. You can follow me—but you must disguise your appearance and change your name."

"Elder, I'll follow your orders," Lu Bosi said without hesitation.

Ding Huan removed his illusionary disguise: "I'm Ding Huan. This is my true face."

After learning of Lu Chongdao's fate, Ding Huan was no longer in such a hurry.

Lu Chongdao had offended Immortal Chancellor Bu Yue, so the Qianyuan Immortal Villa case would be suspended indefinitely—why rush then?

"So Elder is so young? Elder, may I call you Big Brother?" Lu Bosi quickly corrected himself.

"Whatever. Change your name to Ding Laoliu."

When Ding Huan said Lu Bosi's new name, he thought of Laoliu.

He had once let Laoliu go, hoping Laoliu would lead him to traces of the Huaxia Immortal Gods. But Laoliu vanished somewhere, while Ding Huan himself seemed to be getting closer to answers.

Though the Immortal Court hadn't yet shown any familiar faces, it bore a certain resemblance to the ancient Huaxia mythological legends.

"Yes, Big Brother Ding. I'll be Ding Laoliu." Lu Bosi thought the name sounded old, but since Big Brother Ding said so, he'd be Ding Laoliu.

Ding Huan pulled out a mask and handed it to Lu Bosi: "Refine this mask, then wear it on your face…"

Lu Bosi took the mask and hesitated: "Big Brother Ding…"

"Just call me Huan Ge," Ding Huan waved his hand.

"Huan Ge, I don't need to wear a mask—no one knows me."

"Why?" Ding Huan looked at Lu Bosi, puzzled.

Lu Bosi replied: "I just got home yesterday. Today, they came and slaughtered my entire household."

"You just got home yesterday? Where were you before?"

I've been in the Divine Clan since birth; my senior from the Divine Clan sent me to the Immortal Court, then I used a teleportation talisman to return to Qianyuan Immortal Village—I've been back less than an hour.

Because I brought back some Pure Purple Lotus from the Divine Clan, I wanted to plant it in the pond; I had just stepped outside when that demon arrived at my home.

Since I'd been in the Divine Clan all along, I was extremely skilled in concealment techniques, so I hid myself then…'

Hearing Lu Busi's words, Ding Huan fell into deep thought.

He suspected the man had come specifically to kill Lu Busi; otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence?

Lu Busi is eight years old and already at the Primordial Soul realm—this talent is simply terrifying.

If the man truly came to kill Lu Busi, then the Qianyuan Immortal Village case might truly have nothing to do with Immortal Chancellor Bu Yue.

'Alright then, you don't need to wear a mask anymore; let's go to Tianjie… we'll need to find another teleportation array…'

'Brother Huan, we can go to the Hundred Kings Cave marketplace; there's a teleportation array there to Tianjie.'

'How do you know that?' Ding Huan stared at Lu Busi in surprise.

Didn't Lu Busi just say he returned? How could he know about the Hundred Kings Cave marketplace?

Lu Busi's eyes dimmed: 'Because the Hundred Kings Cave marketplace is my Lu family's property. While I was still in the Divine Clan, my grandfather told me about it. When we return to the Immortal Court, I'll take charge of the Hundred Kings Cave marketplace.'

My grandfather told me that a cultivator who only knows seclusion has little future; one must undergo all kinds of trials, taste every bitterness and sweetness, to have a chance at transformation…'

Managing a marketplace at eight years old—this is truly…

'Let's go, then—to the Hundred Kings Cave. Do you have a directional jade slip?' Ding Huan decided to accept Lu Busi's suggestion.

Lu Busi shook his head: 'Not yet—my father hasn't had time to hand me these things.'

'Never mind, let me think.' Ding Huan began to calculate.

Calculating relatively nearby locations was truly no challenge for Ding Huan.

In less than half a stick of incense, Ding Huan chose a direction and activated the ship, sending it hurtling forward.

In less than half a day, a medium-sized marketplace appeared under Ding Huan's spiritual sense.

The marketplace was crowded; Ding Huan slapped Lu Busi's body, transforming him into a girl, while he himself transformed into an old man.

Lu Busi had spent eight years in the Divine Clan—he was no stranger to the world.

Ding Huan's trick still shocked him.

Even his grandfather couldn't do this.

A large portion of those coming to the marketplace did so to use the teleportation array.

Some went to Tianjie; others went to the Immortal Court Plaza.

The marketplace had no direct teleportation array to the Immortal Court Plaza, but once at Tianjie, the Plaza was nearby.

Perhaps because the destruction of Qianyuan Immortal Village was recent, the Hundred Kings Cave marketplace's business had not been affected.

Ding Huan did not investigate whether the marketplace's owner had changed; he led Lu Busi straight to the teleportation array plaza.

The two spent one hundred thousand superior-grade Immortal Crystals to board the teleportation array.

Ding Huan silently marveled—this equaled ten million inferior-grade Immortal Crystals.

In the Ancient Immortal Realm, one might never afford to ride a teleportation array in a lifetime.

The Hundred Kings Cave marketplace's largest profit likely came from this teleportation array.

As soon as they stepped out of the teleportation array, Ding Huan saw a colossal plaza, with three enormous array display screens hovering above it.

The center one read 'Immortal Court Contribution List'; the left one read 'Heavenly Gang List'; the right one read 'Earth Sha List'.

Ding Huan had heard of the Heavenly Gang and Earth Sha Lists, but this Immortal Court Contribution List—he had never seen it before.

Ding Huan hurriedly left the Tianjie Plaza with Lu Busi, found a secluded, empty spot, and immediately restored their true appearances.

'Brother Huan, this great divine art—even my master doesn't know it,' Lu Busi said with envy.

'Let's go—to Tianjie.' Ding Huan did not respond.

He saved Lu Busi purely out of moral duty—if he did nothing, Lu Busi would surely die.

He had no concept of Lu Busi or the Lu family, nor did he owe them any debt or favor.

Therefore, he would not promise to teach Lu Busi the Earth Sha Illusion Art.