Chapter 427: A Show of Force and Exchange

The show of force Liu Tianxian gave was seemingly light and breezy, but in reality, it was sharp with murderous intent.

A kill in an instant, like thunder striking, impossible for even an immortal to withstand.

If Zhou You did not have a Tiger Substitute to die in his place, he would certainly have lost a life when faced with such a sudden, unprepared-for lethal strike.

A puppet's life is a life too!

As expected, one cannot underestimate the official members of the Golden Immortal Dao.

"Sit down and let's chat!"

Liu Tianxian flicked his sleeves and pointed to a seat to the side, "Moyunzi, would it be convenient to introduce which predecessor's mantle you inherited?"

This was an interrogation into the background of this puppet Zhou You was using.

Given the other party's family background, it would be very easy to find out the history of Moyunzi's predecessor, Kaibeishou Yan Ping; the only uncertainty was how he became a successor of the Golden Immortal Dao and ended up at odds with Kunpengzi.

"To tell you the truth, after I escaped from Cloud-Touching Stronghold, I just couldn't swallow that anger."

"I found out where the ancestral grave of that old dog Chen Lie was, thinking I'd dig it up and leave his ancestors of eighteen generations exposed in the wilderness."

"I didn't expect to find the wrong place and dug into an ancient tomb instead. The specific process isn't convenient to say, but after walking out of that ancient tomb, I was no longer Kaibeishou Yan Ping, but Moyunzi!"

Zhou You finished speaking in a few words, glanced around, and sighed, "As a member of the Golden Immortal Dao, you can still enjoy the wealthy life of a noble family; it is truly enviable."

"The Golden Immortal Dao has been absorbing members of noble families since ancient times; it has always been so."

Liu Tianxian removed the lid of the incense burner, added a few spoonfuls of incense powder, and calmly covered the rising smoke.

"On the other hand, you are a wild bandit who entered our Dao by chance; you should cherish the opportunity."

Zhou You smiled; people from noble families were just so annoying, always high and mighty, looking down on you no matter the situation.

He coughed, "Courtesy demands reciprocity."

"You let me see your characters, so I will return the favor and let you see mine."

Without waiting for Liu Tianxian to react, Zhou You flipped his inverted palm and slapped it toward the top of his head.

Liu Tianxian sensed danger; a piece of water jade at his waist emitted a fluorescent glow, a sign that his personal secret treasure was giving a warning.

He hurriedly activated the power of the character 'Instant', subconsciously glancing at the other party's palm, not expecting that once he looked, he would be completely unable to break free.

The white light brushed and faded to a faint glimmer.

When Liu Tianxian opened his eyes, he was no longer in the study; the surroundings were vast and empty, with no sky or earth, no wind or soil, and not even a ghost to be seen.

He panicked; could the other party have sent him to some place like a prison?

This was terrible; here, calling to heaven brought no response, and calling to earth brought no answer. Could the other party's goal be to starve him to death?

The next moment...

The environment around Liu Tianxian burst like a bubble, his body sank heavily, and when he landed, he was sitting exactly in the original chair.

He felt as if he had just woken from a great dream; the scene just now felt both false and real, yet it had posed a huge threat to his soul.

What character could possess power that even the extreme speed of 'Instant' could not escape? "This is the Seal Script I have mastered, 'Zang'."

In reality, it was the Hunger Pouch, which had taken Liu Tianxian inside; going in and coming out in less than ten breaths was the limit.

Any longer would not work, as it would be easy to spot the flaws.

Looking at Liu Tianxian's solemn expression, he was clearly bluffed by this move.

"Moyunzi, my probing just now was presumptuous."

Liu Tianxian cupped his hands in apology, "Your Seal Script is superior to mine; I will have to ask for your guidance often in the future."

A flash of inspiration suddenly struck his mind: the family's darling, Liu Fengji, had returned in a sorry state from Zunyang City, having lost his entire Personal Guard, with only a small page boy left by his side.

The family had many disputes over this, but the biggest point of concern was that Liu Fengji had actually returned alive.

With the Witch Tribe's full-scale invasion, experts blocking the road appeared one after another, and even the Giant strong warriors had sent minions to hunt him down. Under such heavy crises, even with the help of innate Seal Scripts, escaping home alive was truly not easy.

Later, it was learned that he had encountered the wild martial artist Du Yan Lu Zhigang, and it was heard that his methods were quite novel.

"'Zang', ah, I understand."

Liu Tianxian recalled his own experience just now, which was surprisingly similar to the state described by his nephew Liu Fengji.

Liu Fengji and the page boy had taken medicine beforehand and fallen into a coma during the process, but they could vaguely recall being in some strange space.

"Moyunzi, I must thank you for lending a helping hand to my nephew some time ago."

Zhou You frowned, feigning surprise, then shook his head, "It wasn't me."

He then explained, "It must have been Lu Zhigang. I had a brief encounter with him, and he had obtained a few small trinkets."

This sentence was a patch, laying the groundwork for later changes.

So that was it!

Liu Tianxian felt today was worth it, to actually learn the relationship between Moyunzi and Lu Zhigang; perhaps the solitary Du Yan Lu Zhigang was one of the subordinates cultivated by Moyunzi.

Thinking back to Liu Fengji saying that Lu Zhigang also had a deep study of ancient characters, he understood everything in his heart.

"Since we are both members of the Golden Immortal Dao, we should share what we have and interact more often."

Liu Tianxian cupped his hands politely, "I have a noble family behind me, and the allocation of resources is quite convenient; if there is anything inconvenient, leave it to me."

"No rush."

Zhou You coldly interrupted his overture, "Let me see your collection first."

The Golden Immortal Dao took the collection of ancient characters as its duty, and everyone had a proud collection to a greater or lesser extent.

A moment later, in the secret room beneath the study...

"Please look, although my collection is humble, in Fucheng, no one dares to rank first if I am second."

Although the secret room was located in a hidden place, the ventilation and lighting were quite good, and walking through it did not feel stuffy at all.

Silk fragments, bamboo slips, and stone tablets hung on the walls, while crystal covers on the tables held torn pages, scrolls, and so on.

The ancient atmosphere rushing toward him felt as if he had been pushed back hundreds or even thousands of years; this was larger in area and broader in variety than a museum.

Zhou You saw something familiar inside; it was the torn character he had seen someone auctioning at the Doujichang when he first arrived in Fucheng, which was later bought by a noble family's servant using their influence.

Unexpectedly, today I have seen it in the collection of Liu Tianxian.

"How about it? My collection here, is it at least worth a look?"

Liu Tianxian was quite self-satisfied; although he had lost to Zhou You in a contest of strength, he was certain he could regain some face regarding his most prized collection.

Not waiting for Zhou You's response, his heart skipped a beat; could it be...

"Although there are many items, there are no masterpieces."

Zhou You shook his head and took out a palm-sized piece of paper from his sleeve, "Take a look at this of mine."

This was one of the 14 characters from the tree burl, and it was one of the 8 incomplete characters that was severely missing parts.

Liu Tianxian knew his goods; the moment he saw the fragment, he was immediately captivated.

His voice trembled, his hands trembled, "Moyunzi, quickly give it to me, let me take a close look, this thing is extraordinary."

He suddenly realized this belonged to someone else and it would not be good to demand it by force.

Liu Tianxian forcibly suppressed his desire, "You may take any of these things, I only ask that you lend me this Tuopian to study for a few days."

His eye for quality was excellent; he saw at a glance that the characters on the fragment were the most orthodox Nine Cauldrons Seal Script.

(End of chapter)