Chapter 22: Shixiong Is Not a Good Person

After hearing the Princess of Xiyun's account, the three of them looked at each other in dismay.

Xu Chen asked skeptically, "Even so, how could this involve the Ziyang Sect of the Ming Kingdom?"

Zhao Xuan also nodded and said, "Indeed, the Princess has not mentioned a single word about this matter."

The Princess of Xiyun hurriedly said, "In truth, I do not know the details regarding the Ziyang Sect very well. I only know that when my father sent me away, he once mentioned that news of the Ancient Tomb must have leaked, and that cultivators from the Ziyang Sect had once pressured him to reveal the whereabouts of several Immortal Treasures."

Jiu Shixiong frowned and asked, "Could it be that the Immortal Treasures from the Ancient Tomb are still in your possession?"

The Princess of Xiyun's body trembled, and her face instantly turned pale and bloodless.

The three of them then realized that the Marquis of Xilu must have obtained several Immortal Treasures back then, and perhaps they were on the Princess of Xiyun.

Seeing their fixed gazes, the Princess of Xiyun became even more terrified, and finally, she had to whisper, "Zhao Qian does not have any real Immortal Treasures. In fact, the Immortal Treasures have all been taken by the Pingxi King; my father only gave me one Spirit Medicine."

Jiu Shixiong was stunned for a moment, then frowned, "Since it was an Ancient Tomb, how could there be Spirit Medicine? Even if it were an Immortal Pill, it would have long since turned to dust after sitting for several hundred years."

The Princess of Xiyun said, "I do not understand these things, but according to my father, that Spirit Medicine is extremely precious, yet also extremely dangerous. Perhaps it has significant efficacy for breaking through to the Spirit Transformation Realm."

Jiu Shixiong was startled and stood up abruptly, his face full of disbelief as he said, "Are you certain it truly has this effect?"

The Princess of Xiyun shook her head timidly and said, "This is all what my father said. Zhao Qian's cultivation and knowledge are shallow, so I dare not speak recklessly."

Zhao Xuan also stood up at this moment, paced back and forth in the room a few times, and said, "Shixiong, it seems the cultivator we killed yesterday was indeed from the Ziyang Sect. They must also be coming for this Spirit Medicine in the Princess's hands."

Jiu Shixiong nodded and said, "That is indeed the case. However, the Ziyang Sect is one of the top three Immortal Sects in the Ming Kingdom; how could they possibly take orders from the Pingxi King?"

Although Xu Chen had little experience, his mind was quite sharp. He thought for a moment and reminded them, "It is not necessarily that they are taking orders from the Pingxi King; the two might simply be colluding to get what they each need. The Pingxi King wants to silence witnesses and cover this matter up, while the Ziyang Sect can use his influence in the Great Song to track the Princess's whereabouts and secretly seize this Spirit Medicine."

Jiu Shixiong and Zhao Xuan both nodded simultaneously.

"Indeed, Junior Brother's deduction is quite plausible. Although the Ziyang Sect is powerful, they would not dare to rashly arrange for a large number of cultivators to enter the Song Kingdom to seize property, let alone a batch of Immortal treasures; naturally, they would be even less willing to be too conspicuous. This is also why that cultivator yesterday did not put the Pingxi King in his eyes at all."

After listening, Xu Chen said, "That makes sense. However, the Ziyang Sect has experts in the Danyuan Realm, and perhaps even Spirit Realm Great Cultivators. Since it is such a precious medicinal ingredient, why would they only arrange for one Zhenyuan Realm cultivator to come and seize it? If they had sent a Danyuan Realm expert, wouldn't it have been a sure thing?"

Jiu Shixiong laughed immediately and said, "Although Junior Brother has a sharp mind, you are actually unaware of many things in the Immortal World. In this world, Danyuan Realm cultivators are already considered top-tier, and their numbers can be counted on one's fingers. Spirit Realm Great Cultivators are even rarer than phoenix feathers and qilin horns. Throughout the Great Song, including all the large and small Immortal Sects and rogue cultivators, there are no more than twenty Danyuan Realm experts, and there are only a mere four in the Spirit Realm. The Ming Kingdom and the Song Kingdom have similar strength, so there would likely be about the same number. Every Danyuan Realm cultivator is a titan of their region, and their every move is watched by the Immortal World. Therefore, nations are in opposition, and Immortal Sects keep to their own affairs. Once an Immortal Sect from the Ming Kingdom arranges for a Danyuan Realm expert to suddenly come to the Song Kingdom and act in such a sneaky manner, I fear they would be jointly expelled in an instant. Since the Ziyang Sect still needs to cover this up within the Ming Kingdom, how could they let the Immortal Sects of the Song Kingdom know? Thus, they could only send one Zhenyuan Realm expert."

Xu Chen finally realized the truth.

Although these matters were not secrets in the cultivation world and any cultivator who was doing reasonably well knew them, Xu Chen had never been exposed to them, and he understood as soon as he heard it.

The cause and effect of the matter were basically clear by now. However, because of this, the Taiyuan Sect might face retaliation from the Ziyang Sect in the future. Therefore, Jiu Shixiong looked at the Princess of Xiyun and said, "Since the Spirit Medicine is in your hands, could you take it out for us to see? But rest assured, our Taiyuan Sect will not covet this item."

Xu Chen secretly curled his lip, but he kept a sanctimonious expression and remained silent.

The Princess of Xiyun hesitated for a moment, then fell to her knees with a thud and wept, "It is not that I am unwilling to hand the Spirit Medicine over to the three Immortal Masters; in truth, I do not want my father to die so unjustly. I have privately inquired and learned that the Pingxi King has publicly claimed my father was plotting rebellion by colluding with the Ming Kingdom, and the officials sent by the imperial court to investigate have also concluded the same. Now, my family members are all imprisoned in Jingshi, awaiting trial and execution. If the Taiyuan Sect is willing to stand up for me, take me to Jingshi to see the Emperor to state this matter, restore my father's justice, and allow my family to be safe, I am willing to offer the Spirit Medicine to the three Immortal Masters."

Jiu Shixiong's expression turned uncertain in an instant.

This matter involved the Song Kingdom's royal family, the Pingxi King, and the Marquis of Xilu; it was already very troublesome. Most importantly, it also involved the Ziyang Sect, which elevated the situation to a confrontation between the Immortal Sects of two nations. If this Spirit Medicine could truly assist in breaking through to the Spirit Transformation Realm, then it was not something the Taiyuan Sect could swallow alone. Once the Yuqing Hall and several other sects found out, they would inevitably unite to threaten the Taiyuan Sect, and they would not stop even if they fought until their brains were spilled.

Therefore, while treasure is good, it is a hot potato; unless one has the strength of the Yuqing Hall, no one can handle it.

And even if this Spirit Medicine fell into the hands of the Yuqing Hall, the Ziyang Sect would likely not let the matter rest, but would instead contact the various Immortal Sects of the Ming Kingdom to pressure the Song Kingdom.

In the end, this Spirit Medicine would inevitably require a reasonable method of distribution before things could settle down.

Otherwise, it would be a major battle between the Immortal Sects of the two nations.

Because for any nation or any Immortal Sect, once they have one more Great Cultivator in the Spirit Transformation Realm, their relative strength will skyrocket by a large margin.

If things get too chaotic, this Immortal Medicine might end up being destroyed, and no one will get it.

This is the common virtue of all humanity.

If I cannot have it, then no one should think of having it—unless there is enough compensation to satisfy everyone. But who has the strength to satisfy the dozen or so large and small Immortal Sects of two nations?

And given the current strength of the Taiyuan Sect, if things go wrong, the sect might face destruction again, and the little bit of vitality they have painstakingly accumulated would vanish into thin air.

Zhao Xuan frowned and said, "Shixiong, this matter is too complex and involves too much. We had better not get involved. Our own lives or deaths are of little consequence, but it will bring disaster to the sect."

Jiu Shixiong nodded helplessly and said, "Very well, this is indeed a matter we cannot afford to provoke!"

After speaking, Jiu Shixiong said to the Princess of Xiyun, "Your demands are too high; we cannot do it. Let this matter end here. Tomorrow morning, we will leave the caravan. For the road ahead, you must be careful yourself. Go!"

The Princess of Xiyun was shocked upon hearing this. She prostrated herself, kowtowing and weeping, "Zhao Qian knows I have no power to go to Jingshi; I beg the Immortal Masters to have mercy and help!"

Jiu Shixiong did not speak. Zhao Xuan frowned and said, "It is not that we will not help you, but this matter truly exceeds the capabilities of the Taiyuan Sect. If you truly wish to clear the name of the Marquis of Xilu, it is best to beg the Yuqing Hall. I believe that in the Great Song, only the Yuqing Hall has this strength."

The Princess of Xiyun wept, "Zhao Qian is but a mortal woman and has never known the Immortal Masters of the Yuqing Hall; how can I beg them? Even for the three Immortal Masters, I had to beg the Nanyang City Lord with all my might just to get the opportunity to travel together. If the three Immortal Masters do not help, Zhao Qian truly does not know how to clear my father's name."

Jiu Shixiong said coldly, "Princess of Xiyun, it is not that we are unwilling to help, but you saw what happened yesterday. The cultivator from the Ziyang Sect had profound cultivation; the three of us siblings nearly lost our lives joining forces. We have already done our utmost for you; do not push your luck."

The Princess of Xiyun prostrated herself and wept loudly, but seeing that the three of them were no longer speaking, she knew that her pleas were hopeless. She could only kowtow and thank them one by one before rising, covering her face, and leaving.

After the door closed, Xu Chen said with some reluctance, "Jiu Shixiong, can we really not help with this?"

Jiu Shixiong revealed a strange smile and said, "Of course we can help."

Xu Chen was immediately confused and said, "If we can help, why did Shixiong refuse so decisively? Aren't you afraid that she might lose hope and really take the Spirit Medicine to the Yuqing Hall? By then, we won't have even caught a glimpse of the Spirit Medicine, and we will have been marked by the Ziyang Sect instead."

Zhao Xuan smiled, and while pouring tea for the two of them, she said:

"Junior Brother, you are still too kind. As the saying goes, 'no profit, no early rising.' Although this sounds harsh, if the effort and the gain are not proportional, forcing yourself to act out of kindness is just being foolish."

"Zhao Qian cannot use this Spirit Medicine, and she cannot protect it either. In the end, it will fall into the hands of some Immortal Sect—either the Ziyang Sect or the Yuqing Hall. As for other Immortal Sects, most of them won't even know about it in the end."

"If Zhao Qian wants to clear the name of the Marquis of Xilu or even seek revenge, the only thing she can rely on is this Spirit Medicine."

"Now the Pingxi King is searching the world to hunt her down, and although the group of black-clad assassins arranged yesterday has left, they are certainly still tailing and tracking her. If we leave her to her own devices, Zhao Qian will surely die. Therefore, if we do not pressure her, how could she be willing to take out the Spirit Medicine?"

Jiu Shixiong laughed while drinking tea, and after listening, he interjected, "Our Taiyuan Sect is a righteous sect; how could we engage in killing people to seize their treasures?"

Xu Chen's face twitched for a long time before he said, "To put it plainly, it's taking advantage of someone's misfortune; why bother making it sound so high-minded?"

Zhao Xuan drank her tea without speaking, but Jiu Shixiong put down his cup and said angrily:

"What do you mean by 'taking advantage of someone's misfortune'? This is called 'getting what each needs.' The three of us nearly died for nothing yesterday. Zhao Qian appears weak, but she is actually extremely shrewd. To be able to hide for three years under the Pingxi King's pursuit, she is certainly not someone who would give in easily. She says she begged the Nanyang City Lord to arrange for her to travel with us, but who knows how long she had been planning and waiting to get this opportunity?"

"Uh, this..." Xu Chen was also left speechless by the rebuttal, and finally, he curled his lip in annoyance and said, "Anyway, Jiu Shixiong is just not a good person!"