Xi Yangyun really was pleasantly surprised: “You have information about Lingxiu? You guys went to the same place?”
He previously asked about it with his master, and knew some secrets. In the past, even though those fellow disciples would return after several hundreds of years, they usually came back alone. It was very difficult to connect with other friends over there. He didn’t expect to hear news about Lingxiu from Junior Sect Brother Gu’s mouth!
Gu Zuo could understand Xi Yangyun’s state of mind. He smiled, and replied: “In the beginning, we really did lose touch with Senior Sect Brother Xu, but not long ago, an accident unexpectedly allowed me and big brother to see him again and catch up.”
Xi Yangyun took a deep breath: “How is Lingxiu doing?”
Both of them grew up together since they were children. Xi Yangyun viewed Xu Lingxiu like a biological brother, so his concern was naturally without compare.
Gu Zuo thought about it, and nodded his head: “He should be doing pretty well. Currently, Senior Sect Brother Xu is under the command of a prince, and treated as a distinguished guest. Although he has received some restrictions, the friendly relations between him and that Prince Zhou don’t seem bad. Prince Zhou is also rather patient and accommodating with Senior Sect Brother Xu…”
But the specific situation wasn’t something that could be seen through with a single meeting.
Xi Yangyun picked up on several things, and was a little worried. But in the end, Xu Lingxiu was still alive, and he had someone watching out for him. This was much better than the various concerns Xi Yangyun had previously.
Hence, he loosened a sigh: “I hope that everything goes well for Lingxiu in that place.”
At this time, Gu Zuo chuckled, and said: “If Senior Sect Brother Xi is this worried, why don’t you simply go and meet Senior Sect Brother Xu yourself? You’ll feel reassured once you see him with your own eyes.”
Xi Yangyun forced a smile: “We’re separated by the Road of Death. How am I supposed to meet…” Speaking up to here, his heart suddenly stirred and he abruptly raised his head, “Junior Sect Brother Gu is implying that—”
Gu Zuo nodded: “Senior Sect Brother Xi’s thinking is correct. Big brother and I have a way to go back to that place. Naturally, we also have a way to bring along a few people. Several days ago, we already explained to the sect master that we’ll take fifty fellow disciples within Qingyun Sect. Senior Sect Brother Xi, if your heart is set, you can compete for it.”
Xi Yangyun’s expression was solemn: “Junior Sect Brother Gu came here to inform this Xi of the news, right?”
There was a smile in Gu Zuo’s words: “The sooner Senior Sect Brother Xi makes preparations, the better.”
After confirming this, Xi Yangyun naturally felt grateful to Gu Zuo. His mind also began making plans.
Shortly thereafter, Gu Zuo chatted with him, and inquired about a few things: “Actually, big brother and I came here for several other small matters…”
Xi Yangyun plainly said: “Junior Sect Brother Gu, please speak.”
Gu Zuo said: “It’s not for anyone else, but for Lu Jiusi.” At this point, his voice paused, “Senior Sect Brother Xi also knows that when big brother and I first arrived back then, we didn’t have much of a foundation. For his own selfish motives, Lu Jiusi sent assassins to deal with us. At that time, after knowing what Lu Jiusi had done, big brother and I were already leaving for the Road of Death, so we never took the initiative to do anything. Now that we’re back, we want to know what happened to Lu Jiusi…”
Xi Yangyun understood clearly: “Since Lu Jiusi had evil intentions, this Xi naturally abhorred him. Though he made several schemes in secret, he was allowed to run rampant only because this Xi hadn’t noticed it. Now that I became aware, I just had to use some methods to eradicate his forces one by one.”
Gu Zuo startled: “Oh? It was this easy?”
Xi Yangyun smiled: “His forces on the surface were rather ordinary, so it wasn’t necessary to pay too much attention to them for the time being. As for his hidden forces, Shuangyun was of great help.”
Gu Zuo understood in a flash.
Xi Shuangyun had the Heavenly Heart Body. So long as she stood in front, and that person wasn’t on guard against her, she could easily listen to the other party’s thoughts — Of course, some powerhouses with high strength and instincts could automatically raise their defenses, but an Immortal Realm martial artist wouldn’t have reached this level.
The Heavenly Heart Body was practically a cheat skill. With this thing, so long as Xi Shuangyun paid a little more attention, she could track the following clues and find Lu Jiusi’s hidden forces from everything she “listened” to.
Coupled with the information provided by Gongyi Tianheng and Gu Zuo at that time, this gave Xi Shuangyun several trails. No matter how secretively Lu Jiusi accumulated power, when one’s guard was lowered, he could make Lu Jiusi experience the anguish and indignity of being plotted against.
Gu Zuo asked: “Then, what’s become of Lu Jiusi now?”
Xi Yangyun said: “The forces under his control have already been eradicated. All the perpetrators and evil doers who assisted him were also found by this Xi’s subordinates, and eliminated one after another. As for Lu Jiusi himself, the matter of his crimes and misdeeds was handed over to the Punishment Hall. The Punishment Hall took him into custody, abolished his strength, and locked him away in the Black Winds Prison to suffer.”
Listening up to here, Gu Zuo felt very happy.
At that time, he and big brother weren’t able to confront Lu Jiusi head-on. But now that they knew about that guy’s end, this could be regarded as venting their anger.
Xi Yangyun spoke in such detail because he knew that Gu Zuo and Tianheng had a feud with Lu Jiusi back then, and he wanted to set their minds to rest.
Following this, Gu Zuo asked: “Then, how is the He Clan doing now?”
Xi Yangyun was somewhat confused: “The He Clan?”
While he wasn’t particularly well-versed in dealing with the He Clan, he didn’t know that these two juniors also had a disagreement with that clan. Unexpectedly, during this return trip, his junior sect brother especially inquired about them.
Gu Zuo nodded his head: “Speaking of which, it isn’t considered a feud. It’s just that the He Clan is domineering, which makes people feel displeased. The sect currently has ten bloodlines, and the He Clan wanted to replace one of them, or become the eleventh bloodline… I don’t want to see this matter come to pass.”
As Xi Yangyun listened, he realized that these two juniors probably had certain interactions that couldn’t be mentioned, and didn’t try to get to the bottom of it. He just focused on Gu Zuo’s current question, and provided an answer: “If we’re talking about the He Clan, their schemes failed to come true. Even though the He Clan had several talents, the ten bloodlines had even more who were often in secluded cultivation. The foundations of the He Clan weren’t comparable to that of the ten bloodlines. But when all was said and done, the He Clan wasn’t content with its lot in life.
“This had happened once before. The sect master’s bloodline, which grew stronger with each passing day, took action, and suppressed the He Clan. Therefore, the He Clan dwindled greatly, and its properties were gathered up. Moreover, the sect master made them hang their names from that place. If they step out of line in the future, they’ll be treated as an unstable organization to be beaten down. The He Clan probably won’t be able to stick their heads out for a very long time.”
Hearing this, Gu Zuo was pleased.
Due to the affairs of the He Clan, he and big brother had to be quite cautious for a while. Now that the He Clan was suppressed, and had to live their days trembling in fear, it was enough.
Though, there was another matter that he forgot to explain to the sect master.
Gu Zuo pondered slightly, and spoke to Xi Yangyun: “Senior Sect Brother Xi, there’s something I’d like for you to pass along to the sect master.”
Xi Yangyun asked: “What is it?”
Gu Zuo said: “Among those fifty placements, no members of the He Clan should be brought along.”
Xi Yangyun was stunned, but he also didn’t probe further. He only nodded his head.
At this time, Gu Zuo didn’t want to tarry here for too long. He tilted his head, and tugged at Tianheng’s sleeve cuff.
Tianheng smiled at Xi Yangyun: “Senior Sect Brother Xi, it’s already quite late tonight. Ah Zuo and I shall be taking our leave. See you again someday.”
Xi Yangyun also didn’t drag things out, and replied: “See you again someday.”
With regards to this chance of going to the Central Continent, he absolutely wouldn’t let it go!
After that, Gu Zuo and Tianheng turned around, and left.
Reaching this point, Lu Jiusi’s end was known, and they decided to suppress the He Clan one step further. They finished everything that needed handling.
Although the He Clan didn’t genuinely cause any harm to him and big brother, it was true that both sides were still enemies. As one could well imagine, if the He Clan found out that they had suffered losses due to him and big brother, they definitely wouldn’t let them go. As such, for the sake of their own safety and that of their friends and relatives, they naturally couldn’t give the He Clan the opportunity to stand out.
If any members of the He Clan were allowed to participate for the fifty spots… Gu Zuo would never entertain such a foolish thought as to provide resources to one’s enemies.
After going back to the small hill, the lives of Gu Zuo and Tianheng became tranquil again. For the two of them, one refined medicine and the other practiced martial arts. Their days seemed to return to the time when they were in Qingyun Sect before.
However, they both knew that this was only temporary. Once the news from the sect master came, they would go back to the place that truly gave them a sense of belonging — They would go back to Ten Ultimates Sect.
Within Qingyun Sect, a heavy undercurrent emerged with great prominence.
Inside the Administration Hall, the elders of the ten bloodlines, the sect master, and the leaders of various large organizations convened.
Qin Bailang sat atop his high throne. He had already finished talking about what needed to be said. All that remained within the hall was a stretch of silence. Not a single voice could be heard.
All of a sudden, an elder asked: “Sect master, is this matter trustworthy?”
Qin Bailang smiled: “Since that disciple has returned, there’s no need for doubt. As for how he intends to bring people over, it would be wiser that we don’t pry.”
When discussing official business, Qin Bailang said that a disciple had come back, and that he could provide fifty placements. However, he didn’t mention the contents of the transaction, nor did he mention the name of that disciple. He even misled the crowd of elders, making them think that this disciple, who successfully reached the Central Continent hundreds of years ago, was repaying a favor the sect.
This approach was to let Tianheng rest assured, and to assist the Gongyi Clan more covertly in the future. This would also allow Tianheng to continue this transaction for a long time to come. Otherwise, if someone in this hall had any deceitful intentions, the consequences would probably be something that no one wanted to see.
For the grand and stately sect master, he still had this bit of vision.
Among everyone present, the elders of the ten bloodlines took the news well. As for the other leaders, there were a few whose expressions showed peculiarities.
Upon seeing this, Qin Bailang faintly sneered in his heart.
Sure enough, as soon as this matter occurred, some people had devious ideas.
But for the sake of the sect’s long-term plans, these devious ideas would only be given thought. They wouldn’t be implemented. If someone dared to reach out their hands with the intent of ruining this cooperation, he would chop off those claws with the force of a thunderclap!
At this time, no one else called into question the matter of “getting to the bottom of things”. Only, there were several who were worried that the returning disciple couldn’t be trusted: “What should we do if we can’t monitor the situation? What if the other party has evil intentions, and these fifty disciples are wiped out for nothing?”
Qin Bailang said: “That disciple has already joined a silver-ranked organization on the Central Continent. Why would he covet the benefits of my Qingyun Sect? He’s merely considering that bit of friendship back then, and repaying the favor. What does he stand to gain by deceiving and harming my sect’s disciples? If any of you still have concerns, just don’t compete for the placements.”
It wasn’t that there weren’t such doubts. It was just that he saw that Tianheng was upright and proper, and wasn’t the type who was narrow-hearted. In addition, his Qingyun Sect never did anything to offend Tianheng, and the previous few transactions were quite pleasant. Of course, there was no need to pointlessly worry and put a damper on the other party’s goodwill.
The others raised a few more questions, and Sect Master Qin either answered or placated them all. Finally, they reached an agreement. Everyone felt relieved, and placed great importance on these fifty placements.
T/N: Thanks for the correction, Charysa.
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