Chapter 496
"What's the use of fabricating charges? Especially in this case?"
Yan Wushuang blinked, feeling even more worried about Zheng Fa.
Xie Qingxue, however, smiled, as if she had some confidence in Zheng Fa. "Zheng Fa has probably thought about this issue. Since he dares to attend the alliance meeting, he must have some ideas."
"When we return to the sect, we will clarify things for him. If anything changes, we can inform him."
Yan Wushuang was taken aback by this. This sounded a bit familiar!
He had thought the same thing the last time they returned to the sect!
He looked at his senior sister with a strange expression, and a thought crossed his mind:
What if he brought his father to Jiushan Sect for a try?
Who knows, maybe the Tianhe Sect would all be surnamed Zheng?
Then what would there be to worry about?
"Senior sister, is that why you're in such a hurry to return to the sect?"
Xie Qingxue shot him a glance. Seeing his dazed expression, she said coldly, "Once we return to the sect, don’t act on your own. If you let something slip again..."
"…"
"Senior sister, I’ll listen to you! I’ll tell you everything!" Yan Wushuang exclaimed, his face brimming with excitement. "You have no idea how hard it is to carry such a huge secret alone without being able to share it!"
His tone carried a sense of exhilaration, as if he had finally found his place.
Xie Qingxue pursed her lips, her gaze softening as she looked at her junior brother.
Is it really that hard?
It’s incredibly hard.
This foolish junior brother thinks she doesn’t understand, but Xie Qingxue… has known for a long time.
She took out the Tongjian (通鉴, a historical text) and gently stroked it, secretly feeling pleased as she murmured to herself:
"I have someone to talk to as well."
…
Upon returning to the Tianhe Sect, Xie Qingxue and Yan Wushuang were summoned by the sect leader, Yan Wushuang's father.
"Master!"
Xie Qingxue's face was as cold as ice, yet her posture was extremely respectful.
Tianhe Sect Leader Yan looked her over, noting that she seemed unchanged, then glanced at the downcast Yan Wushuang, a flicker of disdain crossing his eyes.
He couldn’t be bothered to look at his unlikable son and turned his attention to his beloved disciple, a smile breaking across his face as he asked, "Did you gain anything from this trip?"
Xie Qingxue replied respectfully, "I’ve made some progress; I feel a strong connection with the Qingping Sword."
Yan Sect Leader's eyes lit up. He knew his disciple was not one for idle chatter, and she wouldn’t speak without confidence. Her words indicated she must have made significant strides.
As the most talented disciple of the next generation in Tianhe Sect, and the wielder of the Qingping Sword, she was expected to perhaps one day restore the glory of their founder.
Thus, her progress was a major event for the Tianhe Sect.
Recalling the founder, Yan Sect Leader lowered his gaze and suddenly brought up Zheng Fa. "You have a good relationship with the leader of Jiushan Sect, don’t you?"
"Fairly so."
"You two killed the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor together?"
"I don’t know how the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor died."
Yan Sect Leader studied his disciple, sensing that her words were sincere.
Of course, they were sincere. Not only Xie Qingxue, but even Zheng Fa didn’t fully understand what had happened.
But Yan Sect Leader’s thoughts took a turn—if Xie Qingxue didn’t know, then perhaps the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor was indeed killed by Zheng Fa?
"Then Zheng Fa..." He paused, "Has he received the founder's inheritance?"
Xie Qingxue was momentarily taken aback, as if she hadn’t considered this point. Then she replied "honestly," "I don’t know."
"What do you think?"
"I think... perhaps he hasn’t." Xie Qingxue said, lowering her head.
"Oh?" Yan Sect Leader squinted, pressing further, "Why do you think that?"
Xie Qingxue hesitated for a long time, and seeing her master still staring at her, she finally stammered, "The founder, back in his Golden Core days, didn’t kill the Dao Fruit."
"…"
Yan Sect Leader twitched his lips, understanding Xie Qingxue's implication—if the founder himself couldn’t do it, then to label someone as his successor would seem to be gilding the lily for both the Tianhe Sect and the founder.
Even if Zheng Fa had some inheritance, it might… be stronger than that of the Tianhe founder.
That… made a lot of sense.
He stared at Xie Qingxue for a long time, then glanced at Yan Wushuang, puzzled:
After just one trip, how did this beloved disciple start speaking like his own troublesome son?
It was infuriating.
(End of this chapter)
---
Chapter 384: The Secret of the Dharma Body, the Way to Respond
"Are you there?"
"Be careful at the Five Sects Alliance meeting..."
"My master is suspicious of you! Although I explained a bit on your behalf, it probably won’t be enough to dispel my master’s doubts."
"By the way, after using the Demon-Dispelling Technique, the Qingping Sword seems to be closer to me! Next time, it might just listen to me and not you!"
"I’m telling you, Yan Wushuang..."
"…"
The messages from the Zao Hua Yu Zhe (造化玉牒, a mystical artifact) came in waves, with Xie Qingxue sending over ten messages in quick succession. They started off related to Zheng Fa, but soon turned into various happenings within the Tianhe Sect.
Including how Yan Wushuang had been scolded again by his father and was currently in a state of "don’t underestimate the youth in poverty."
Old Han had been feeling uneasy lately, too afraid to return to the sect, and had been wandering outside.
And there was a junior sister who seemed to have been practicing a beauty-enhancing technique, causing several junior brothers in the sect to become jealous.
Another branch’s uncle seemed to have encountered problems while practicing swordsmanship, and his temper had been quite poor lately, making his disciples live in fear.
Her tone resembled that of a gossipy neighbor, and her writing style was akin to that of entertainment industry tabloids.
It seemed quite leisurely.
She didn’t expect Zheng Fa to reply; she just sent whatever came to mind, treating Zheng Fa like a sounding board.
After reading through the jumble of messages, Zheng Fa couldn’t help but chuckle and replied, "Xie Xianzi, you mentioned that your master is suspicious of me... What suggestions do you have for the Five Sects Alliance meeting?"
He was also somewhat worried about the meeting, mainly due to the lack of information regarding the Xuanwei Five Sects. Although he had some ideas, he didn’t know the other party’s background, making it impossible to tailor his approach, which left him feeling uneasy.
Xie Qingxue noticed he was addressing serious matters and shifted her focus from the gossip to the topic at hand, promptly selling out her master:
"From my master’s attitude, it seems that our Tianhe Sect won’t push too hard. If it’s confirmed that you have a connection to the Tianhe founder, then things could get complicated..."
Xie Qingxue was still very cautious, only stating the Tianhe Sect's stance.
This was indeed in line with Zheng Fa’s expectations—
It wasn’t that Zheng Fa was blindly confident, but rather that the Five Sects’ attitude towards the Great Freedom Demon Emperor indicated that once he abandoned causing chaos among the human race, the Five Sects would let him be.
One must understand that there was deep-seated animosity between the celestial and demonic factions.
This suggests that the celestial sects seem to be wary of something, actively avoiding a battle over the Dao Fruit.
From this perspective, the Five Sects Alliance meeting was a reflection of that mindset.
If they treated the Great Freedom Demon Emperor this way, they likely had similar thoughts about him, who had killed the Great Freedom Demon Emperor.
This was also a significant reason why Zheng Fa leaned towards participating in the Five Sects Alliance meeting.
Of course, just as Xie Qingxue only mentioned the Tianhe Sect's stance, this line of thinking was ultimately hypothetical. If one truly believed that killing the Great Freedom Demon Emperor would guarantee safety, that would be overly optimistic.
Xie Qingxue continued:
"It would be best if you could find some techniques to conceal or alter your aura..."
"There should be some special methods within the sect to investigate your connection with the founder."
"I’ll inquire further for you."
Upon reading the last sentence, Zheng Fa felt grateful, but considering that both of them were aware of each other's secrets, they had become natural allies, and expressing thanks seemed unnecessary.
He simply said, "Thank you for the reminder, Xianzi. The research on the 'Jiushan Golden Core Method' has also made some progress in the sect..."
"Really?"
Zheng Fa shared the latest experimental results from the 'Golden Core Project' without reservation, and Xie Qingxue replied excitedly, "I have a feeling that if I master the 'Jiushan Golden Core Method,' I might be able to fully control the Qingping Sword."
Zheng Fa found this quite believable.
Based on their research, the Qingping Sword was likely the Dao Fruit of the 'Nine Transformations Golden Core Method,' which resonated with the 'Jiushan Golden Core Method.' That was why it felt closer to Zheng Fa.
However, since Xie Qingxue was the "sword spirit" chosen by the Qingping Sword, if she mastered the 'Jiushan Golden Core Method,' it would deepen their bond, turning a foster relationship into a true kinship.
This technique would greatly benefit Xie Qingxue—hence, her tone didn’t suggest she felt she was at a disadvantage in her collaboration with Zheng Fa.
After discussing this, Zheng Fa glanced at the sky and said to Xie Qingxue, "I have some matters to attend to..."
"Can I message you then?"
Xie Qingxue’s request seemed a bit pitiful...
"Of course!" Zheng Fa thought for a moment and added, "In a while, I’ll be upgrading the Jiushan Forum, and at that time, the Tongjian will be even more interesting."
"It can get even more interesting?" Xie Qingxue, sitting cross-legged on her mat, replied excitedly, "I’ll be waiting!"
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