204: Chapter 73: Ruin and Bankruptcy for Another Chance at Life 204: Chapter 73: Ruin and Bankruptcy for Another Chance at Life A harsh scolding.
The two revered figures had extremely unpleasant expressions on their faces, yet they dared not make any more moves.
In these ten years, the Dachu Dynasty’s Taoist sects had retired into seclusion, the Sword Palace had sealed its mountain, and the martial world had been tranquil… Leading to the rise of families like the Jiangning Xie Family to prominence, making some forget their place.
But at this moment, Bai Yu and Hei Yao had come to their senses.
This was the Sword Palace, not a royal mansion.
“Master Xie.”
The Pavilion Master of Incense Fire House came forward with a smile, trying to mediate.
He clasped his sleeves with both hands, bowed, and said, “Regardless… the assassination incident was indeed the fault of the royal mansion.
These two esteemed figures indeed lack propriety.
I apologize to you on their behalf, and admit their fault.
I heard that the Prince Jiangning’s mansion has already prepared a generous gift overnight, just waiting to negotiate with you.
What do you think?”
As he spoke,
he subtly handed a token to Xie Xuanyi.
“…”
Xie Xuanyi still did not accept it.
He looked at the Incense Fire House Pavilion Master before him and smiled softly, “Is Prince Jiangning waiting at the Xie residence at this moment?”
Daoist Zhu sighed, “Naturally.”
“Since he is already waiting, he wouldn’t mind waiting a bit longer.”
Xie Xuanyi stood up and headed towards the back courtyard of the residence, flicking his sleeves and gesturing for the Pavilion Master of Incense Fire House to follow him.
Both the black and white revered figures were stopped in their tracks by Jiang Qihu.
…
…
“Master Xie, opting to see me instead of meeting Prince Jiangning first… I am indeed flattered,” said the Pavilion Master.
The two walked together to the back courtyard.
The Pavilion Master of Incense Fire House still wore his amiable smile.
Xie Xuanyi had some impression of this Daoist figure before him.
The Taoist sects were influential, and among its many branches, World Pavilion was naturally the most powerful and influential.
However, Incense Fire House could only be considered a lesser branch within the Taoist ranks.
The heritage of Daoist Zhu was in geomancy and dragon-seeking, not skilled in combat.
“Rest assured, calling you here is not for a good reason.”
Xie Xuanyi held his hands behind his back.
Although his current identity was merely that of a seventeen-year-old youth from the Cave Heaven Realm, in the cultivation world, age was not the sole measure of a person.
Now that the Pavilion Master respectfully addressed him as ‘young Master of the Mountain,’
Xie Xuanyi naturally accepted and was utterly composed.
Upon saying this, Daoist Zhu’s lips twitched slightly, but his smile did not diminish, “Does young Master Xie find that the ‘View of Mountains and Seas’ just now was of insufficient grade?”
“Entering, it was enough,”
Xie Xuanyi said expressionlessly, “But to leave, it’s far from sufficient.”
“…”
Daoist Zhu raised his eyebrows.
His smile became somewhat stiff, “What do you mean by this?”
“Some things, you and I are well aware of.
Need I, Xie Someone, clarify it?”
Xie Xuanyi spoke calmly, “As a member of the Taoist sect, infiltrating the Sword Palace, spying on the qi fortunes of the peaks, this is the first sin.”
“Inciting the Prince Jiangning, stirring up strife within the Sword Palace, this is the second sin.”
“…
Harboring assassins, deceiving superiors and misleading subordinates, causing chaos, this is the third sin.”
“Any of these three crimes alone would be sufficient to disgrace Incense Fire House and bring disgrace upon the Taoist sects.”
Xie Xuanyi paused then asked calmly, “You don’t think that offering one ‘View of Mountains and Seas’ is enough to atone for your sins, do you?”
The back courtyard was silent to the extreme.
The smile on Daoist Zhu’s face gradually faded as he understood why Xie Zhen wanted to have a talk with him first.
“Master Xie, without evidence, please do not arbitrarily slander the Taoist sects.”
“It’s not directed at the Taoist sects, but specifically at you,”
Xie Xuanyi asked meaningfully, “Do you think, if you were to die in this small courtyard today, the Sword Palace would need to present any proof to the outside world?”
The Pavilion Master of Incense Fire House broke out in a cold sweat.
Xie Xuanyi had long noticed something off about Daoist Zhu.
Before stepping into the courtyard, the Daoist’s attitude had been extremely low.
The dignified Pavilion Master of the Incense Fire House, no matter how lacking, was still a pavilion master.
His status was highly honored, far beyond comparison with the two protectors from the royal mansion…
To display such an attitude was naturally not due to “respect” for him.
Xie Xuanyi still had self-awareness.
Last night, Zhao Chunyang came out of seclusion, first battling Wu Zhexian, then fighting the Qin Ancestor… Although it was a secret, it would eventually become public knowledge.
This news must have already reached the ears of some people.
From the behavior of the Pavilion Master of Incense Fire House, Xie Xuanyi was almost certain that this man knew that Pure Yang Sect Leader was inside the Da Sui Sword Palace, watching every little move in the small courtyard.
Indeed.
After a deadly serious pronouncement,
instead of rebutting, Daoist Zhu carefully and cautiously inquired, “What else does Master Xie desire?”
This further confirmed Xie Xuanyi’s suspicion.
The Pavilion Master had direct connections with important figures in the Imperial City… Based on the timeline, the news from last night should not have reached many ears yet, but this man had widespread connections.
“Everything.”
The two words Xie Xuanyi uttered left the Pavilion Master completely stupefied.
“Everything?”
The Pavilion Master watched the young man incredulously.
“Bankrupt yourself to spare your life,”
Xie Xuanyi said calmly, “…that is the will of ‘that person’.”
“???”
Upon hearing this, Daoist Zhu’s sweat poured down like rain, and the back of his Daoist robe was already soaked through.
With a mix of horror and fear, he looked up towards the sky of the small courtyard.
The sun had just risen, its rays sharp as swords.
A breeze blew by, yet its presence felt like a sword intent brushing past, leaving an icy chill in everyone’s heart.
Without saying another word, Daoist Zhu quickly took out his pouch, opened his Grotto Heaven, and took out all his savings—talismans, medicinal pills, treasures, calligraphy, antiques…
everything, creating a small mountain of items in the back courtyard.
After arranging all this, without hesitation, he removed his Daoist cap and took out his hairpin.
Just as he was about to remove his Daoist robe, Xie Xuanyi frowned and raised his hand to stop him.
“…
There’s no need to remove your Daoist robe,”
Xie Xuanyi had not expected that, after pulling rank with the Sect Leader, Daoist Zhu would become so frightened.
This Pavilion Master of Incense Fire House was prepared to strip off his robes?
“This Daoist robe is a Ninth Grade treasure…”
Daoist Zhu raised his head, his expression tense as he asked, “Do I really not have to take it off?”
“Get lost at once.”
Xie Xuanyi waved his hand dismissively, rebuking him coldly.
Daoist Zhu immediately became a long rainbow, fleeing in a panic without even looking back.
…
…
Moments later, Xie Xuanyi returned to the front courtyard, toying with Daoist Zhu’s Daoist crown and hairpin in his hand.
The two venerable Hei Yao and Bai Yu were somewhat stunned.
They had both seen that long rainbow just now.
What was going on?
What had Xie Zhen and Daoist Zhu talked about…
The esteemed Pavilion Master of the Incense Fire House, to have left his Daoist crown and hairpin behind, could it be that he also stripped off his robe?
“You two may leave your tokens and go.”
For these two men, Xie Xuanyi had little interest; he dismissed them with a single sentence.
Though these two were of the Yin God Realm, they had already become “Protectors” of the royal residence…Presumably, there was nothing on them that caught his interest.
After seeing the rainbow light of Daoist Zhu’s hasty escape, Hei Yao and Bai Yu were eager to return; they left behind their tokens and hurriedly departed.
Xie Xuanyi, holding the token from Prince Jiangning’s residence, didn’t immediately send it into his Divine Soul.
As previously mentioned.
The Prince of Jiangning was waiting.
Then let him wait a bit longer—
He took Qihu to the back courtyard, letting him pick a few treasures he liked as a thank-you gift for accompanying him, and then Jiang Qihu bid farewell.
The small courtyard was left with only Xie Xuanyi alone.
Xie Xuanyi poured out Sea Breaking Pills, using their medicinal strength to consolidate his recently advanced Golden Body Realm.
This cultivation lasted several two-hour intervals.
From sunrise to sunset.
At dusk, the remnants of the sunset filled the sky.
Having used up the twenty Sea Breaking Pills from Venerable Bai Yu, Xie Xuanyi slowly opened his eyes, the bottle of Sea Breaking Pills stabilizing his meridians and qi entirely.
Xie Xuanyi felt his entire body filled with surging vitality, greatly relaxed.
Only at this point did he pick up the token.
A strand of Divine Thought, injected into the token.
…
…
The courtyard of Prince Jiangning’s residence was full of fallen flowers.
A middle-aged man dressed in a black-gold cloud-patterned robe, wearing a high crown and a golden sword at his waist, sat in the courtyard with an imposing demeanor like a sharp sword, a token floating in front of him…
This whole day, Prince Jiangning Xie Zhisu had been sitting there, quietly waiting for a message from the token.
Hei Yao and Bai Yu had transmitted back everything that happened in Da Sui Sword Palace.
Xie Zhisu knew that the token had already been delivered to Xie Zhen’s hands.
Now…
he was just waiting for a message from Xie Zhen.
Unexpectedly, this waiting lasted for an entire day.
Just as Xie Zhisu was preparing to leave, the token trembled, distorting the space around it.
The fallen flowers of Prince Jiangning’s residence were stirred up by the wind.
In front of his stone table, there suddenly appeared the figure of a young man in black, looking relaxed.
“…You’ve finally come.”
Prince Jiangning let out a breath.
His aura was full of vitality, his spirit contained, and his eyes seemed to hold a galaxy of stars.
These past few days, the Disturbances at Da Sui Sword Palace had been noisy and intense; he had always been curious…
This Xie Zhen, who surpassed his own son, who exactly was he?
Being able to meet in the Divine Soul Illusion Realm today fulfilled one of his desires.
Xie Zhisu circulated his spirit, sending a Divine Thought towards the young man opposite him.
“Whirring.”
In the courtyard, a tremulous Sword Sound arose.
Xie Zhisu’s sword at his waist lightly began to tremble… his expression somewhat surprised.
This look not only did not intimidate Xie Zhen, but it also affected his own Sword Intent.
The young man’s gaze was as calm as the sea.
Xie Zhisu’s Divine Thought skimmed out, only to sink without a trace, disappearing as if entering the sea.
Unknowingly.
Xie Zhisu lost himself in thought.
A light laugh pulled his thoughts back.
“Prince, have you seen what you wanted to see?”
Xie Xuanyi stepped into this illusion of the royal residence, surveying his surroundings without a sound.
He had certainly been to this royal residence before—
Years have passed, yet the Prince Jiangning’s residence had changed a lot.
When he visited the Prince Jiangning’s residence in the past, the courtyard was dilapidated and the entrance desolate.
Now, however, it was completely transformed from its former decline.
Since Prince Jiangning’s meteoric rise, countless people had sent congratulatory gifts, piled in the courtyard, including corals big enough for two people to embrace, a prestigious Buddhist shrine burning with sandalwood.
The residence had expanded more than twice, with new pavilions built in the courtyard, artificial mountains constructed, and streams of flowing wine, like a paradise on earth.
Indeed much had changed compared to the past.
Only, it was unknown… How much of today’s development of Prince Jiangning’s residence could be accredited to the efforts and labors of Xie Xuanyi from those years?
“Heroes emerge from the youth since ancient times.”
Xie Zhisu took a deep breath, calming his Heart Lake, and slowly said, “Truly worthy of being a disciple of Xie Xuanyi…
My son lost to you, and he lost without grievances.”
Just now with that glance.
He could tell that Xie Zhen did not meet him with his true appearance.
Thus he circulated his Divine Thought, flying towards Xie Zhen, wanting to see this young man’s true face.
Unfortunately, with just one look.
He saw myriad life, countless illusions overlapping on Xie Zhen’s face, swirling and spreading like clouds and mists.
Beyond that, there was also a radiant golden lotus, high above his forehead.
Xie Zhisu had a premonition.
Even if he were to pour all his Divine Thoughts into this young man before him, he still would not be able to discern Xie Zhen’s true face.
…
…
(PS: I’ve been struggling with writer’s block today, so the update is quite late.
I need to carefully think through the upcoming major plot, so please bear with me.)