Chapter 23

"Why?"

The one who spoke was not Chen Zhao, but Su Wanyao, who had just woken up.

Li Zhiwei sighed:

"I might as well tell you: your sister will be betrothed to the son of Elder Fang of the Discipline Hall in two years—its purpose, you should be able to guess."

She had originally stayed far from such affairs, but this matter was entangled with her karmic ties; she did not wish to be disturbed by inner demons during her breakthrough.

This speech of hers,

was merely a warning to the younger generation—not to bring trouble upon themselves.

Chen Zhao understood his senior sister's nature well and did not expect her to see this through to the end.

He had finally figured it out.

Originally, the two branches of the Su Family were competing; if it were merely for the position of family head, Su Muqing already held absolute advantage—there was no need to commit further killings.

The risk was high, the reward too small.

But what if the Fang Clan intended to swallow the Su Family's resources?

The best solution.

Was to eliminate one branch and install Su Muqing's father as head, making the Fang father and son the de facto emperors.

Su Muqing's branch would then pass down generation after generation, monopolizing the Su Family, while the Fang Clan, as protectors, would slowly erode its resources.

Once the Su Family's Foundation Establishment ancestor died, both sides could directly seize the entire Su Family.

A python swallowing a dragon.

Chen Zhao was secretly startled.

This incident was not large-scale; the one who acted was not particularly strong—it was likely the work of Young Master Fang.

But if it became public, it might force Elder Fang to intervene personally and silence them.

Though Elder Fang was not Hall Master and could not act unilaterally, he still held partial authority and could find any excuse to dispose of him at will.

The only way to survive was to pretend nothing had happened.

Chen Zhao's back broke into cold sweat; he turned and asked:

"Senior Sister Xin, what did you say in the Communication Talisman?"

"I only said we encountered a Qi Refining eighth-layer robber cultivator..."

"Good on you for being clever."

Such messages were usually handled by the Discipline Hall; if she had mentioned Su Muqing's name, even the gods could not save her.

Xin Tong lightly flicked her tongue.

Had Chen Zhao not gone to seek outside help, she would have died for sure; thinking of this, her heart warmed slightly.

"By the way, about my Spirit-Avoiding Pill..."

Chen Zhao whispered, asking her to keep it secret from everyone.

Xin Tong pouted.

The way she said it made saving her life sound like a transaction.

"Silence fee: one hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones. Loss of spiritual energy: fifty Low-grade Spirit Stones. Can be borrowed, nine out, thirteen back. No pills allowed as payment—must sign a promissory note."

She whispered back, with a faint hint of irritation.

Chen Zhao knew she was teasing him and chuckled awkwardly.

Meanwhile,

Li Zhiwei stared at Chen Zhao and raised an eyebrow:

"What? Reluctant to give up that head?"

Chen Zhao froze, then realized—he quickly handed it to Senior Sister Li to help him "dispose" of it.

But as soon as his fingers touched the old woman's neck, he felt a slick wetness.

He looked closely.

It was a sumi ink doodle, bearing a Nine-Petal Black Lotus.

The object emitted no spiritual energy, and its meaning was unknown; after asking everyone and getting no answers, he stopped probing further.

Fifteen minutes later,

The Tiankui Sect's mountain gate loomed ahead.

Li Zhiwei repeatedly reminded everyone that this had nothing to do with her, that she had not saved them, and forced them to swear a Heart Demon Oath.

Only then did she make the Cloud Climbing Bird continue forward.

The four of them hid within the "cloud," undetected.

As soon as they landed,

The Discipline Hall sent someone to summon them.

Chen Zhao cast a divination, confirmed it was safe, then went.

The four were interrogated separately; the chief interrogator was naturally Elder Fang.

Everyone played dumb, insisting they had killed the robber cultivator and escaped alive from the emaciated old woman—with no connection to Su Muqing or Li Zhiwei.

Elder Fang seemed to believe this account and did not perform soul-searching.

"This interrogation was likely just a test."

Chen Zhao mused.

No matter how they concealed it, if the other side probed even slightly deeper, they would conclude that Senior Sister Li had left the mountain to rescue them.

They were testing whether Senior Sister Li would protect them.

"If Senior Sister Li doesn't protect us, they'll likely move to real action next."

After the interrogation ended.

The four returned to their Cave Abodes.

Xin Tong activated the Array, sealing off eavesdropping from outside.

"According to Senior Sister, Zheng Daocai has gone missing, while Zhou Buyu and others are confirmed dead."

Chen Zhao sighed, looking around at them all.

All wore grim expressions.

Su Wanyao need not be said—she knew defeat was certain; when resource supplies were cut off, she and her father would be in mortal danger.

Unless she also dragged down a son of an Elder.

Liu Chen and Xin Tong were also affected, their cultivation resources drastically reduced.

And as for Chen Zhao himself.

He had been forcibly dragged into this matter, drawing the ire of the Fang-Su Alliance.

But.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

After this affair, he believed Xin Tong and Liu Chen were trustworthy, and Su Wanyao could be won over.

Liu Chen need not be said—he had seen the power of a Rune Master with his own eyes.

After spending time with this man, Chen Zhao realized he was wholly devoted to the Dao, with a relatively simple mind.

Xin Tong had even greater potential, but was hindered by her Empty Spirit Body, leaving her cultivation and spiritual energy stagnant.

"Xin Tong, do you have any way to resolve your Empty Spirit Body?"

Chen Zhao said gravely.

He had a Divination Tube—perhaps he might stumble upon a relevant opportunity.

Every bit of additional strength on our side meant one more chance at victory.

Hearing this, Xin Tong felt a faint warmth in her heart and murmured softly:

"Younger Brother, you're thoughtful. If we had 'Nine Orifices Solidify Source Pills,' and someone assisted in unblocking the meridians, it might be possible—but the three main ingredients of the Nine Orifices Solidify Source Pills are in the Secret Realm..."

Chen Zhao silently noted it down, to wait for the right opportunity.

The two women chatted for a while; seeing the hour was late, they exchanged farewells and returned to their respective Cave Abodes.

Only Chen Zhao and Liu Chen remained.

Liu Chen was badly wounded and had not yet recovered, so he sat in meditation to regulate his breath.

Chen Zhao pulled out his Storage Bag and inventoried his gains.

"Chaotian Dao" and Zhao Dehai were relatively poor; besides a few Spirit Stones, they possessed only a Yellow-Grade Mid-Tier White Rainbow Blade Technique.

And a Wuqing Treasure Sword.

The sword was slender and long, exuding fluidity, its entire body a deep ink-green; upon closer inspection, small seal script on the hilt read "Qingming Spirit-Absorbing Sword."

Chen Zhao briefly refined it and tested it casually, but felt something odd.

He recalled the scene when the Golden Cicada Robe lost its spiritual essence, and a bold suspicion arose in his mind.

Could this sword possibly destroy the spiritual essence of other Dharma Treasures?

If his guess was right, it truly deserved the title of a divine weapon.

"Too bad my spiritual energy is still shallow—I cannot wield this sword for long. Perhaps after reaching Qi Refining Fifth Layer, I can try."

Chen Zhao put it away, then turned to examine the withered old woman's Storage Bag.

"No wonder she's Qi Refining Eighth Layer—Robber Cultivators have truly transformed."

The old woman's wealth was truly substantial.

Besides the Contract Jade Slip, there were nearly a hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones.

A Yellow-Grade Upper-Tier Wind-Riding Art, a Low-grade Magical Tool called the Invisible Spirit Robe, and a fragment of a map.

Chen Zhao tested the Invisible Spirit Robe.

Once worn, his figure blurred like mist, and his spiritual energy fluctuations diminished.

With his current cultivation and Mental Power, he had to concentrate for more than three breaths to discern a faint outline—but it offered no defensive capability.

The map fragment marked a location; judging from the surrounding terrain, it appeared to lie within the middle layer of Fulong Mountain.

He did not know what lay there.

The Storage Bag also contained other items.

Several Qi Gathering Powders, Qi Restoration Pills, a Su Family Token, and a blue-purple longsword with a chipped edge—she never seemed to have used it.

Wait!

Chen Zhao stared at these items, growing more and more familiar.

It turned out these were his teammates' Storage Bags—she had packed them all up and swept them clean in one go!