Chapter 319: First Meeting with Zhu Jiuge

319. Chapter 319: First Meeting with Zhu Jiuge

After stepping out of the Teleportation Array, Long Xuan glanced around, found no one nearby, and quickly walked off into the distance.

He headed straight for Green Mountain City, where the Teng Family was located.

Green Mountain City was a city belonging to the Huiyue Empire, about a dozen days' journey from here—traveling at full speed would get him there just in time.

From Di Xin's mouth he had learned that the Huiyue Empire and the Long Teng Empire were at war, and that Green Mountain City in the rear had been stripped of troops, with most of its Spirit Sea Stage Gu Cultivators and Gu Kings transferred away.

The Teng Family currently had no Gu King standing guard, and not many Spirit Sea Stage Gu Cultivators either—this was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity for him.

Otherwise, with a pile of Gu Kings stationed at the Teng Family, he wouldn't have dared to risk going over no matter how bold he was.

Long Xuan raced at full speed. After roughly two hours of travel, he suddenly sensed something burrowing through the earth below. His face changed; with no time to think, he instinctively dodged to the side.

At that very moment, a pool of water seeped up from the ground, slowly coalescing into the figure of a youth, who looked at Long Xuan with a cold smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Your reflexes aren't bad. You've been following me since Xue Island—may I ask what your Intent is?" the youth demanded first.

"That's a funny thing to say. The road isn't yours—I go wherever I please. If you've got the guts, change direction, and I promise I won't follow you!"

Long Xuan studied the youth thoughtfully. This man had the aura of Marrow Cleansing Peak; if he was traveling the same route, then there was an eighty percent chance he was also after the Teng Family's Earth Spirit Fruit.

The sudden appearance of such a powerful competitor was not good news for him.

It seemed the Teng Family's troop depletion due to the war had let many greedy people see an opportunity.

The Gu Cultivators preparing to strike while the iron was hot were probably not limited to this one youth; there might well be several groups planning to sneak into the Teng Family to steal the Earth Spirit Fruit.

Especially those Poor Scattered Cultivators whose Lifespan was nearly exhausted—they couldn't afford Realm-Breaking Pills, and it was quite possible they'd take the desperate risk of going to the Teng Family.

And this group could very well become a variable going forward, greatly increasing the difficulty of him obtaining the Earth Spirit Fruit.

The youth curved his lips and smiled: "Since you weren't following me, then we're traveling the same way?"

"Judging by your Marrow Cleansing Peak Cultivation Realm, I suppose you're also after the Teng Family's Earth Spirit Fruit."

"There are definitely more than just the two of us eyeing the Teng Family's Earth Spirit Fruit. I happen to need a helper—how about the two of us cooperate?"

"We'll not only join forces against enemies, we'll also share intelligence, and split the final gains evenly between us. What do you say?"

The youth said with a smile, looking at Long Xuan.

"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you," Long Xuan said with a wry smile. "I can't share intelligence with you."

"All I know is that the war between the Huiyue Empire and the Long Teng Empire caused all the Gu Kings in Green Mountain City to be transferred away."

"Even most of the Spirit Sea Stage Gu Cultivators were pulled out; the ones left guarding the Teng Family are hardly worth counting."

"I imagine you already knew this—otherwise you'd never have dared go to the Teng Family to steal the fruit."

Long Xuan wasn't actually lying with this statement.

The intelligence was all with Di Xin; he only knew this much.

And Di Xin had run into an accident and couldn't come at all, leaving him with hardly any intelligence on the Teng Family.

He could only take things one step at a time at the Teng Family. The lack of intelligence would undoubtedly make stealing the fruit harder, but there was nothing to be done.

"That news is common knowledge, alright? Saying it is the same as saying nothing."

"Fine then! To show my sincerity, I'm willing to share intelligence with you."

"But as an exchange, I need you to help me kill a person—this person will definitely go to the Teng Family."

A fierce killing intent suddenly flared in the youth's eyes.

"Who do you want to kill? If it's a very troublesome existence, I'll have to think it over," Long Xuan asked instinctively.

"I need you to help me kill a man named Long Xuan. Don't worry—when the time comes, I'll take the lead, you just need to assist me."

"Just based on how you dodged my strike earlier, I'm certain your skills are far from simple. That's why I sought you out to cooperate. If you can dodge my attacks, you can definitely dodge his—he can't kill you."

Hearing this, Long Xuan's expression turned strange.

Hire him to kill himself? This was truly the biggest joke under heaven.

Hiring an assassin and ending up with the target himself—this Shui Juanyun was quite a character.

No need to think about it—this person was definitely Shui Juanyun.

Just how deep was this grudge? He was still holding a grudge against him. All he did was make him take the blame—was it really worth all this?

Long Xuan was currently in Disguise, which was why Shui Juanyun hadn't recognized him, leading to such a ridiculous scene.

How could Long Xuan not be in Disguise? The Xue Clan had just been wiped out by a mysterious force, meaning the influence of the Repair Gu was still ongoing. He wouldn't dare appear under Long Xuan's Identity during this period for all the tea in China.

"Are you so certain that that Long Xuan will definitely come to the Teng Family?" Long Xuan asked curiously.

His plan to go to the Teng Family was known to no one except Di Xin.

How on earth did this Shui Juanyun find out?

"Hmph! I won't say a hundred percent, but it's eighty or ninety percent!"

"I've fought him before—I know he's a Ten Absolute Body."

"And those who possess the Ten Absolute Body have bottlenecks as hard as rock; ordinary Realm-Breaking Pills won't allow them to break through."

"He can only use the Realm Breaking Treasure with the strongest medicinal effect to break through."

"And in this region, the Earth Spirit Fruit is his only option."

"Unless he doesn't want to break through anymore, he will definitely come to the Teng Family to seek an opportunity."

Shui Juanyun's eyes flashed with a fierce look as he said bitterly.

He hated this person to the bone.

If not for this person's framing, how would he have had to destroy a body at the Spirit Sea Stage Cultivation Realm, forcing him to find another shell and start his Breakthrough all over again?

And all the valuables he carried were on the dead body, so he couldn't afford to buy another Second Grade Realm-Breaking Pill, leaving him no choice but to take the risk of coming to the Teng Family.

This Long Xuan had truly ruined him—how could he not hate him?

Of course, that was only one of the reasons.

The biggest reason was that he still couldn't forget the Repair Gu on Long Xuan's body.

He was one of the few who knew that the Repair Gu was on Long Xuan's person.

If given the chance, he would naturally seize the Repair Gu for himself.

"Very well, then I will join forces with you to kill that Long Xuan; rest assured, with me acting, that Long Xuan is doomed."

"Now you can tell me the intelligence you possess, can't you?" Long Xuan asked again.

No matter what one does, intelligence is of paramount importance.

The more detailed one's understanding of the Teng Family, the higher the success rate of stealing the Earth Spirit Fruit.

Previously, he had no means to gather intelligence on the Teng Family, but now that there was someone very familiar with them, he would certainly seize this opportunity to acquaint himself with the Teng Family's situation.

Seeing this person agree to kill Long Xuan, a smile curled the corners of Shui Juanyun's mouth.

With such an expert lending aid, he truly did not believe they would fail to kill Long Xuan this time.

"This is a map of the Teng Family; memorize their terrain first, and we will discuss the rest on the way."

Shui Juanyun tossed a map toward Long Xuan, turned, and continued forward...

Half-Month Later, Green Mountain City.

Just as the two of them arrived at the city gates, they saw a group of Gu Cultivators clad in blue clothes rushing out.

This crowd looked anxious; among them, five Gu Cultivators radiating Spirit Sea Stage aura were particularly conspicuous, and these five led the charge at the very front.

From the information gathered from Shui Juanyun, Long Xuan knew these were the clothes worn by Teng Clan Gu Cultivators.

Many Great Clans wear unified clan attire; for instance, the Long Clan generally wears black robes embroidered with dragons, where the number of claws on the dragon symbolizes the wearer's status within the clan.

Meanwhile, Teng Clan Gu Cultivators generally wear blue robes featuring a cluster of condensed clouds, where the number of cloud clusters symbolizes status.

Therefore, it was not difficult for Long Xuan to identify that the group rushing out was undoubtedly composed of Teng Clan Gu Cultivators.

Long Xuan pondered thoughtfully; this group of Teng Clan Gu Cultivators looked anxious, so what were they doing rushing out of the city at this time?

These Teng Clan experts chose neither early nor late to leave, but specifically on this sensitive day with anxious expressions; this increasingly resembled the strategy of Lure the Tiger from the Mountain.

It seemed those intending to target the Teng Family's Earth Spirit Fruit were truly not just the two of them.

Someone had already begun acting, attempting to use the Lure the Tiger from the Mountain strategy to draw the Teng Family's limited protective forces out of the city.

Judging from the current situation, the Lure the Tiger from the Mountain strategy appeared to have succeeded.

The Teng Family sending out five Spirit Sea Stage Gu Cultivators at once undoubtedly greatly reduced the difficulty for the two of them to steal the fruit; this accident was naturally a good thing for them.

Glancing at the direction the group departed, Shui Juanyun said, "Judging by the direction they are heading, they must be going to the North City Mining Area; it seems something has happened at the Teng Family's North City Mining Area."

A smile curled Shui Juanyun's lips as he remarked with amusement, "It seems someone is using the Lure the Tiger from the Mountain strategy against the Teng Family; this is becoming more and more interesting."

"Just as I expected, with the Teng Family's protective forces depleted, many people will take the opportunity to target the Earth Spirit Fruit."

"Let us enter the city as well."

Paying no further attention to that group, Shui Juanyun walked quickly toward the city interior.

Long Xuan followed closely behind, yet he firmly memorized the appearances and body types of those five Teng Family Spirit Sea Stage Gu Cultivators.

Shortly thereafter, the two arrived before the Teng Family gates.

At this moment, the Teng Family was extremely lively; lanterns and decorations hung everywhere, characters for 'joy' were pasted all around, guests came and went constantly at the main gate, and the courtyard was filled with laughter.

Long Xuan had already learned from Shui Juanyun that the Teng Family was forming a marriage alliance with the Great Clan, the Lin Family, and that the Teng Family's Eldest Young Master would marry a beautiful female Gu Cultivator from the Lin Family today.

Therefore, he felt no surprise at the scene before his eyes.

At this moment, a very long queue had formed before the Teng Family gates, with everyone holding gifts in their hands.

These were all Gu Cultivators from various clans coming to attend the wedding banquet; whichever family presented what congratulatory gift, the Teng Clan Gu Cultivators guarding the entrance would loudly announce it.

Wu Family Head Wu Tian presents one thousand-year spirit herb!

Long Xuan had just arrived when he heard this announcement, and he sighed inwardly; with the Teng Clan's cultivators shouting so loudly, no one would dare to offer cheap gifts.

"Hmph! With so many people arriving, the Teng Family will inevitably allocate massive manpower to entertain these honored guests, meaning the guards at the secret location must be severely depleted."

"They chose neither early nor late to hold the wedding, but specifically today; truly, heaven aids me!"

Shui Juanyun sneered coldly and walked quickly forward.

He did not queue, but walked directly to the Teng Clan Gu Cultivator collecting gifts and said arrogantly, "Shui Clan presents one Top-Grade Spirit Artifact, the Half-Moon Blade!"

As he spoke, he placed a curved blade onto the tray held by that Teng Clan Gu Cultivator.

This blade belonged to the original owner; since he used a sword rather than a blade, he might as well use the original owner's blade as a congratulatory gift, feeling no regret whatsoever.

Originally, seeing someone cut in line, both the Teng Clan Gu Cultivators and the numerous guests behind intended to shout reproaches loudly.

But upon hearing that this person was from the Shui Clan, everyone fell silent together.

The gift-collecting Teng Clan Gu Cultivator also stopped the reproach he was about to utter.

The Teng Clan was merely a Great Clan within Green Mountain City; viewed across the entire Central Earth, they were not worth mentioning.

Meanwhile, the Shui Clan was a renowned Great Clan throughout the entire Central Earth; aside from the various Imperial Families, few powers in the whole of Central Earth could compare to the Shui Clan.

Compared to the Shui Clan, the Teng Clan was like clouds and mud; how could the Teng Clan afford to easily offend them?

Great Clans possessed privileges; not queuing was acceptable, and those who were cut in line would not say anything.

Hearing that a Gu Cultivator from the Shui Clan had arrived, all the Teng Clan Gu Cultivators were initially startled, but soon simultaneously displayed expressions of delight.

For a Great Clan like the Shui Clan to send someone to attend their Teng Clan's wedding banquet meant the Teng Clan gained immense face; how could they not be excited?

"Shui Clan! Presents one Top-Grade Spirit Artifact!"

The Teng Clan Gu Cultivator stretched his throat and shouted excitedly.

Instantly, the gaze of everyone present converged upon Shui Juanyun.

Shui Juanyun sighed inwardly; he knew being too conspicuous was unfavorable for their actions.

But there was no help for it; he was most familiar with the Shui Clan, and only by using the Shui Clan's identity could he avoid exposure.

With a home he could not return to, he could only occasionally borrow the Shui Clan's identity for use.

After presenting his congratulatory gift, Shui Juanyun did not linger, walking directly through the gate.

Long Xuan, thick-skinned, muttered, "We're together," and followed closely through the entrance.

That Teng Clan Gu Cultivator actually believed him and made no move to block them; thus, Long Xuan avoided offering a gift and managed to sneak in for a free meal.

Upon hearing that Gu Cultivators from the Shui Clan had arrived, the Teng Family Head immediately showed excitement, hastily excusing himself from the noble guest he was conversing with, and hurried over to welcome them.

However, just as he was about to reach Shui Juanyun, another excited shout rang out from the entrance.

"Zhu Jiuge, the Zhu Clan's First Heaven's Chosen! Congratulating with one Top-Grade Gu Worm, the Hundred Poison Gu!"

At this shout, the entire crowd was startled, turning their gazes over once more.

The Zhu Clan was a Great Clan ranking equally with the Shui Clan; unlike the Shui Clan, however, the Zhu Clan's main family resided within the Huiyue Empire, giving them far greater influence in this region.

No one had expected the Teng Family's face to be so large that they could even invite people from the Zhu Clan.

What exactly was the relationship between the Teng Clan and the Zhu Clan?

First, people from the Shui Clan arrived to offer congratulations, and now, immediately after, people from the Zhu Clan appeared; was the Teng Family about to rise? They had actually befriended so many super Great Clans.

Many guests' faces began to shift between gloom and joy as they started re-evaluating their relationships with the Teng Family.

The Teng Family Head's face was crammed with smiles; with such noble guests attending the Teng Clan's wedding banquet, he felt immensely honored.

He immediately halted his steps toward Shui Juanyun and quickly walked toward the entrance instead.

In this place, the Huiyue Empire, the Zhu Clan's influence was far greater than the Shui Clan's; he certainly knew which end was light and which was heavy.

At the entrance, a tall woman held the hand of a little girl, head held high, her face full of pride.

This was a new friend she had made at the Academy; after some blustering on her part, she had tricked the girl into attending her older brother's wedding banquet.

This Zhu Clan's First Heaven's Chosen was truly powerful, offering a Top-Grade large Gu Worm as soon as she arrived!

She felt incredibly honored! Today, she had definitely brought glory to the Teng Family.

At this moment, Long Xuan and Shui Juanyun also turned their heads, instinctively looking in that direction.

Long Xuan clicked his tongue: "Tsk, tsk, actually using a Top-Grade Gu Worm as a gift; what a grand gesture. Does her family consider Top-Grade Gu Worms to be free?"

Seeing that small figure, Shui Juanyun let out a long sigh of relief; fortunately, it was not an acquaintance. If it had been that woman, Zhu Yue, things would have become truly troublesome.

"The Zhu Clan could not possibly have any relationship with the Teng Clan; that little girl is inexperienced and must have been deceived by the woman beside her."

"Giving a Top-Grade Gu Worm right upon arrival; she is truly generous."

"Why didn't she give one to me? I even want to become friends with her!"

Shui Juanyun said bitterly; he was long past being the powerful young master Shui from the Surging Waves Ship.

He had lost a heap of Top-Grade Gu Worms in battle and was now in urgent need of Top-Grade Gu Worms. (End of Chapter)