Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1361 Harm (1+12) Mastercard Sun Minghao Silver Alliance Bonus Chapter 22
The old man and the young boy emerged from the side hall, both feeling as if they had survived a calamity, their bodies drenched in cold sweat. Seeing Qiao Wenliu, who was greeting them with a cold smile, they said even less, not daring to meet his gaze, and headed straight for the main hall.

The main hall was brightly lit.

Li Zhouwei sat upright in his high position, saying nothing, toying with a golden bracelet in his hand, moving back and forth between the two like a golden shadow.

A person was standing below.

This man was extremely tall, with a slightly red face, sharply defined eyebrows, and an expressionless demeanor. He was neither arrogant nor humble. Although the person at the head of the table was the renowned King of Wei, he remained calm and showed no sign of tension.

'Ye Tuji…'

Li Ximing, standing beside him, frowned, sensing the calm emanating from the man, and said softly:
"Where are you from, fellow Daoist?"

Ye Tuji glanced at him and smiled:
"I am from Baishi County, which you two probably have never heard of. It is just a small county in the east."

He paused, then said seriously:

"No need for idle chatter, please come to see Master Gu!"

The voice echoed, and Pang Yi and his son entered from the side, standing respectfully and saying:
"Pang Queyun/Pang Yi greets the King of Wei!"

Hearing the commotion, Ye Tuji, who was ahead, did not turn around and seemed not to care where the father and son had gone in the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Hearing the commotion, Yu Xixin, holding the black urn, stepped inside.

The Great Master Ziqi stopped, using his supernatural powers to trap Lingbao while simultaneously stirring up the water to tilt the urn, causing shimmering, iridescent light to flow down.

Yu Xixin gestured for him to proceed, and Ye Tuji strode forward. Reaching the Xuanweng, he sensed its presence, then turned and said:
"Two fellow Taoists!"

Pang Yi stepped forward, sensing the flowing water energy, then turned to look at the old man beside him. Pang Queyun stood there hesitantly for a moment. Ye Tuji withdrew his supernatural power and said calmly:

"That's Senior Gu inside!"

"Master Gu?!"

These words resounded, but the only response he received was the calm, seemingly undisturbed breath of water. Pang Yi didn't know if the person inside could hear him, but a cold smile crept into his heart:

'You might as well ask... was it Bu Zaotian's Gu You who was defeated and captured alive by the King of Wei?'

'This guy is incredibly arrogant, he's not even afraid of death, it would be a miracle if he answered you!'

He sneered inwardly, but outwardly listened intently. Li Ximing frowned but remained silent, while Ye Tuji spoke:
"Senior Pang?"

Pang Queyun placed his hand on the magical artifact, briefly sensing and calculating its contents. He then bowed, silently taking a step back, before finally hearing the King of Wei speak from above:
“I have already seen the intention of the Great Master Long Kang to protect the peace. I will give Bu Zaotian face and not use force. Since Mingyang is riding on the momentum of his great victory, he should send someone from Chuncheng to sue for peace. I will have Long Kangyao come to talk to me in person.”

"Otherwise... just look up and you'll see water overflowing the sky."

Pang Yi and his father returned the greeting together, only then did they hear Li Ximing laugh and say:
"Oh right, there's also this guy surnamed Wen, but we're too lazy to bother suppressing him."

Ye Tuji smiled slightly, bowed deeply, and replied:

"I will certainly convey the King of Wei's words."

He turned around and left the main hall without looking back. Pang Yi quickly bowed to Yu Xixin to express his gratitude before they left together.

Outside the main hall, Wu Temple stood to the side. Seeing this scene, he was quite displeased with Ye Tuji's calmness. He frowned. Qiao Wenliu was always unyielding. This group did not receive a smile from him. Like a defeated army in haste, they left the city and headed east.

The hall fell silent instantly. Yu Xixin put away the spiritual treasure, breathed a sigh of relief, and seemed quite relieved. The Grand Master said:

"Grand Master Longkang must have some concerns. If we can turn hostility into friendship, that would be the best outcome..."

He valued his reputation and didn't want a major battle between the two sides. Li Zhouwei nodded, dismissing him. Only then did the young man in the crimson robe enter lightly from the side, bow, and smile:

"Father!"

Li Zhouwei said:

"Is it done?"

Li Jiangqian nodded with a smile, his voice gradually turning cold as he chuckled:
"It has to be done, even if it's inappropriate. Before, they were in the shadows while we were in the open. Now we're in control. As long as Father goes to Chuncheng, he will surely cause their collapse! It's just a matter of whether that Master Longkang has fully realized his mistakes..."

He bowed with his hands clasped and said softly:
"That man is called Fu He. He has someone behind him. He's not the type to accomplish anything. He's not as capable as Pang Yi."

After listening to his explanation of the details, Li Zhouwei stood up, stepped down, turned around, and smiled:

"Let them fight it out first."

……

After leaving the great formation, Pang Yi secretly glanced at his father. Pang Queyun remained expressionless, listening to his son's inner monologue:

'Father, is what's inside real or fake?'

Pang Queyun's voice deepened as he said:
'I reckon it's true... Gu You might just remain silent, or perhaps the King of Wei didn't want him to speak at all. Besides, whether it's true or false doesn't matter anymore; it's all up to you now!'

Pang Yi felt a little more at ease.

But Ye Tuji seemed to have some doubts. He stood in the void, using his supernatural powers, and said calmly:
"You two are a full incense stick's time late. I wonder if you overheard anything in the side hall..."

Pang Yi shook his head and sighed:
“It was Master Yu, of course. He met us in the side hall and we talked about some old things. Now that we are on opposite sides, it is natural that he is not happy. But it is not convenient to take these words back and talk about them. Otherwise, I would have talked to Fellow Daoist Ye a long time ago.”

Ye Tuji ultimately trusted him, since all three parties seemed to be on the same side, so he nodded, as if he understood his meaning, and said:
"I will report this matter. Just a brief mention is enough; take it with you."

This place was so close to Chuncheng that in an instant, the void was filled with a mountain-like aura. The two of them broke through it together, passed through layers of mountains, and soon landed in the small town of Qingshi.

The three of them crossed the lake in silence and landed at a small pavilion by the lake. Long Kangyao remained standing with his hands behind his back, and Lü An held a cup of tea, just as they had been before they left, as if only a moment had passed.

Clearly, the three of them had been waiting together in this place from beginning to end!

However, unlike others, Long Kangyao's expression was very cold, and the shock and anger in his eyes seemed to be about to overflow, which made Pang Yi's heart pound and he thought to himself that something was wrong.

The three of them bowed together and said:

"Greetings, esteemed lords!"

The pavilion remained silent, save for the extra talisman on the jade table, which fluttered slightly in the wind. Lü An, his expression rather grim, glanced at the two men and said:
"You may not know this, but when you went to the West just now, the Guangyuan Heaven sent someone down. They were concerned about the Longkang Clan and sent them a talisman, saying that it was calculated that... Master Gu is in good health, and his strength has only been reduced by one or two tenths."

Pang Queyun looked at the cold dragon-shaped dish before him and hesitated before saying:

"What...what does this mean?"

Fu He, who had been standing with his arms crossed the whole time, smiled and said:
“This is a very bad omen. I won’t even mention preserving Master Gu’s strength. Wouldn’t it be troublesome to suppress him? If he is willing to release him, then he must be severely injured and unable to make a move for three to five years. Isn’t that right? He still covets my Gujun Immortal Land. How can we allow Master Gu to maintain his strength almost intact?”

"Whatever his purpose, even if it's just for the sake of suppression, he has to seriously injure Master Gu. How can you bind a tiger and not remove its claws? This state must be concealed by his exorcised qi! There's no need to think about it anymore!"

That's a brilliant idea. Even Lü An kept his head down and didn't say anything, clearly having been persuaded.

"Why use exorcised qi to conceal it? There must be a hidden plot."

Pang Yi inwardly applauded him, secretly harboring disdain:
'Finally, you've hit the nail on the head. You're not stupid... just too inexperienced.'

After Fu He finished speaking, he lowered his brows:

"My sincere heart is witnessed by heaven and earth!"

The dragon before him was extremely agitated. The arrival of this talisman brought all previous speculations very close to reality. Finally, he looked directly at the person before him and said softly:
"Thanks a lot."

He coldly shifted his gaze and asked:
"Tu Ji—how is he?"

Ye Tuji bowed and replied:

"I was initially left aside, and no one came to look for me. After quite some time, a cultivator came to retrieve me, but only allowed me to go in alone..."

Long Kangyao stared at him, his brows furrowed:

"Later... when we arrived at the main hall, there was no one else there, only the King of Wei and that Zhaojing Zhenren. The Zhenren talked about other things and asked a lot of questions."

The great master turned his head sharply and said coldly:

"Oh? Master Pang met with other people as well?"

Ye Tuji was clearly helping Pang Yi cover up, but it was too difficult to fool Long Kangyao with such details. Without thinking, Pang Yi knelt down and whispered:

"It was Master Yu... He had a premonition that a great battle was about to break out between the two sides, and he was very worried. He secretly met with us under the guise of gathering information, and also gave us a warning... He said that... there were villains under the command of the King of Wei who were spreading rumors, and their words were aimed directly at my Pang family!"

As he said this, his face seemed to hold endless complex emotions. His eyes secretly glanced at Fu He, but Fu He, seeing such a golden opportunity, had no time to look at him and secretly rejoiced:
"Very well, it must be that reckless Qiao Sanyi, and Li Zhouwei! You've made a poor choice in personnel, pushing the Pang family into my hands!"

Pang Yi received no response, only knelt on the ground without uttering a word. Ye Tuji immediately said:
"After quite some time, we finally saw Master Pang arrive. There, a spiritual treasure was used to suppress it; it must be the [Heavenly Nurturing Urn]. He sensed a wisp of its aura emanating from it and, seeing Ruzhen, I went to ask him..."

Hearing Ye Tuji say in a low voice:

No one answered.

Long Kangyao's expression changed slightly. He stared intently at him and said:
"Only a wisp of aura was detected?"

Ye Tuji said solemnly:

"Indeed, it is not yet clear whether it is strong or weak."

He raised his head and said softly:
"However, the King of Wei brought a message: he came taking advantage of the situation. If the Great Master wants to protect his life and seek peace with him, then the Great Master should go to the city to find him himself. Otherwise... there will surely be a great flood!"

Longkang Cuisine:

"Seek peace?"

Fu He knelt down, exclaiming in surprise:

"You absolutely must not go, Master! Senior Gu must have already met with some misfortune; Mingyang has a grand scheme!"

The atmosphere inside the pavilion had become extremely tense, with only the crackling of the flames burning on Long Kangyao's body and his voice filled with deep hatred:
"It really is true!"

From the perspective of interests and the overall situation, Long Kangyao absolutely did not believe that the other party would eliminate Gu You, but Mingyang's exception made him hesitate for the first time—this lineage, when provoked, is capable of anything! And with all the evidence laid out before him, he had no choice but to believe it!
Fu He knelt on the ground, offering a bamboo slip with both hands, his voice sincere:
"My father has already left the cave. As long as the Great Master sends a letter, he will surely uphold justice for all the families in my Gu County!"

Long Kangyao forced out a few cold laughs and said:

"Upholding justice..."

He took a step forward, but heard a rustling sound. Long Kangyao turned his head slightly and found that Pang Yi was covered in cold sweat. He took a step forward and staggered, then knelt down in front of him with a thud.

He wept:
"Great Master, wait!"

Immediately following was a deep sigh from Pang Queyun. The old man looked up at the sky, closed his eyes tightly, and whispered:
"Great Master..."

In a split second, Fu He was still standing there, wondering what the father and son were about to say, but Ye Tuji had already turned around abruptly and laughed:
“But I remember now! Just now in the main hall, Brother Pang came in a step later than me. He must have heard something and had something to say—I’ve never heard of you being familiar with the Li family. Why do you have something to say in private?”

Pang Queyun ignored him completely, simply raising his hands and whispering:

"Since I have been ordered by the Great Master to do this, I cannot remain silent—with my Azure Mystery Secret Technique above, I am afraid that the spirit treasure contains the very essence of Master Gu!"

The two men's words almost overlapped. Long Kangyao's aura reached its peak. His eyes, burning with fierce flames, turned and paused on Pang Queyun for a moment before turning to look at Ye Tuji. He then put his raised hands back behind his back.

Without hesitation, Pang Yi raised his face, which was covered in cold sweat, and stared straight at Long Kangyao, saying in a hoarse voice:

"If the Great Master protects the Pang family, then this junior can speak with confidence!"

Long Kangyao's hands, clasped tightly behind his back, clenched into fists. The flames around his body raged like restless venomous snakes. He said coldly:

"Say!"

The instant Pang Yi opened his mouth, Ye Tuji's voice forcefully squeezed in, and he said in a booming voice:

"Fellow Daoist, who did you meet in the side hall? What favors did you receive? Now you dare to interfere in the affairs of the world! Do you dare to answer?"

The instant his voice boomed, Long Kangyao's face turned around. His eyes transformed into crimson, jewel-like crystals, and the dark lines on his entire face erupted. Clumps of tiny feathers burst forth from his cheeks along the meridians, and his voice instantly became shrill:
"Shut up!"

"Boom!"

A sea of ​​fire exploded in the sky, instantly turning the entire horizon crimson. Ye Tuji spewed flames, retreated several steps, bent over, and coughed violently. Pang Yi felt a sharp pain in his face and shouted urgently:

"Why wouldn't I dare answer? This junior has met Master Yu!"

Long Kangyao stood sideways to him, listening to the young man's hateful voice:

"Great Master! The spirit treasure clearly contains Master Gu!"

These words were extremely malicious, causing Fu He's expression to change drastically—how could he have imagined that his childhood friend would betray him at this time! Fu He's reaction was more than a beat slow; he felt dizzy, a chill rushing to his mind. Forcing himself to calm down, he seized upon the other person's words and sneered:
"Fellow Daoist, it seems you've been so struck by the Wei King's spiritual artifact that you don't even know who you are! If the spiritual treasure truly contains True Man Gu, why haven't you uttered a word? Are you perhaps saying that the spiritual treasure blocks words, and the Wei King intentionally prevents you from hearing them?"

Pang Yi sneered, raised his head, pointed directly at Ye Tuji, and said:
"Of course it's because of him!"

This sound made Long Kangyao narrow his eyes, and Pang Yi said hatefully:

"Great Master! This person went to question him, and his words were provocative and his tone was icy. He actually asked if the one trapped inside was Master Gu. What a joke! All the grotto heavens know that Master Gu is arrogant. He was captured by the King of Wei and is already determined to die. How could he answer such a question to him!"

"It was clearly intentional!"

In fact, although Ye Tuji's words were not meant to flatter, they were by no means provocative either. After all, the King of Wei was not deaf. He was just trying to keep Gu Zhenren from answering within the rules. Besides, given Gu You's mindset, even if you coaxed him nicely in such a disheveled state, he might not be willing to speak. But at this moment, with no one witnessing, whatever Pang Yi said was law. Who could find fault with him?
Even Ye Tuji himself felt guilty!

Pang Yi gave the other party no chance to argue, immediately bowed, closed his eyes, and said sternly:
"When we chose this Fellow Daoist Ye, I had a feeling about it. I just thought that Master Fu was a man of great principles and would not let personal feelings interfere with public duty. I never expected things to turn out this way. Now I have to say it! Ye Tuji is not a rogue cultivator at all! He is Fu He's childhood friend and an inside man they planted here long ago. They have been scheming against the Great Master for a long time!"

The final sound, like a thunderclap, resounded throughout the pavilion.

Pang Yi was deliberately trying to sow discord, and he had come prepared. Fu He was already in a state of confusion, and he couldn't withstand such a barrage of attacks. He couldn't cope with him for a moment, and his whole body felt cold.
"You...you're talking nonsense! You've already taken the King of Wei's bribes!"

Pang Yi was furious upon hearing this. He turned around, looked up, and cursed:
“Fu He! Ask yourself! Who was it that used underhanded tactics against the King of Wei… and now they’re accusing me of currying favor with him… If it weren’t for your people defecting to the King of Wei’s side and spewing slanderous words, saying I was sowing discord, how could I have been placed in a side hall!”

"You've calculated things cleverly, wanting Ye Tuji to meet the King of Wei alone, preventing my son and me from meeting Master Gu... But you didn't expect that Master Yu, not wanting Master Gu to perish, would have met us in the side hall and brought us to the main hall... Otherwise, the Great Master would surely have been deceived by you today!"

This part is amazing. It turns defense into offense. The weakness of the Pang family father and son meeting with others in private and suspecting that they were bribed has become the handle for him to accuse Fu He!
These questions made Fu He's face flush red, and he said in a hoarse voice:
"What are you saying... I've never done that! I've never done that!"

A knowing glint flashed in Pang Yi's eyes, but his expression grew even more sorrowful. He turned around, knelt on the ground, and said:
"My lord, someone has instigated cultivators to spread slanderous rumors about the Pang family before the King of Wei! Their aim is to force the Pang family to collude with them for self-preservation, thus causing the Grand Master and the King of Wei to fight to the death!"

Pang Yi raised his head, his eyes filled with hatred, and gritted his teeth, saying:
"But I dare not!"

“I grew up in Gu County since I was a child. How could I bear to watch this place be devastated by the provocation of a few people… Great Master! Although my father and I do not wish to cause trouble, we still keep in mind the principle of ‘if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold’!”

He raised his head, and two clear tears finally streamed down his face at just the right moment, and he said:
"Master Yu only has one message for you to convey to the master..."

Long Kangyao's gaze, which had been fixed on him, finally shifted slightly. Looking at him directly, Pang Yi said in a hoarse voice:
"If any cultivators arrive at the grotto-heaven, Gu You will never return!"

Long Kangyao lowered his eyes slightly, listening to the young man continue:
"Great Master, it is the work of villains! My Pang clan has already cut off our path to Mingyang, but I am unwilling to sacrifice the lives of my fellow practitioners to curry favor with the emperor. Now we can only rely on the Great Master! Every word is true... They... are trying to force the Great Master into battle! They are trying to kill Master Gu!"

Fu He was completely bewildered by what he said, but he knew he couldn't let things continue like this, so he knelt down as well, his voice anxious:
"Great Master! This man has been bribed by the King of Wei to incite the people and make the Great Master hesitate! He must not be trusted at all!"

Compared to Pang Yi's piercing words, Fu He seemed utterly powerless. He simply picked up the words again and said hatefully:

"How do you explain that Master Gu is almost completely unharmed!"

Pang Yi's lips trembled, but he didn't continue speaking—it was impossible for him to say that Li Shi had the intention to withdraw!

Then silence fell.

Long Kangyao stood with his hands behind his back, listening to those words echoing in his ears. Unexpectedly, he calmed down at this moment, his eyes sweeping over the people in the hall with an unwavering gaze.

Earlier, Fu He's words were piercing, and Long Kangyao suspected his insincerity. Now, Pang Yi's words were filled with tears, and he couldn't tell the difference. However, the bewilderment and shock on Fu He's face seemed genuine, which reminded him of the situation.

'It's not necessarily something we can completely believe.'

He raised his head, lifting Pang Yi up. At this moment, the Dragon-Kang True Man finally revealed the ruthlessness of a direct descendant of a True Monarch. He no longer concealed his so-called respect, simply raising the young man to eye level with himself, and said softly:
"If what you say is true, I will ensure the Pang family's safety... But... if Gu You really is in trouble... your Pang family cannot bear the guilt of plotting against me..."

His eyes were bloodshot, as if he wanted to devour them. Without giving them a chance to answer, he turned to Fu He and Ye Tuji and said indifferently:

"Fu He, this is the last time I'll ask you this."

"you."

He stepped forward and said softly:
"Does he represent Dongmu, or the Fu clan of Gujun?"

This question was more terrifying than anything concerning Gu You's life or death. Long Kangyao's voice echoed throughout the heavens and earth. Although calm, it made Fu He lower his head with some difficulty.

Was Long Kangyao the one he was allowed to choose?

Not at all.

From beginning to end, Fu He did not represent Dong Mu in the slightest. Not to mention him, even if his father came, he absolutely could not answer. Long Kangyao's meaning was only one thing.

This matter must be linked to the entire Fu family, and the entire Fu family must be used as a guarantor!
'Impossible… Gu You can't be unharmed. If that's the case, Li Zhouwei will definitely tell Pang Yi. Unless… they also dislike Pang Yi and won't cooperate with him, but in any case, we can't back down…'

Betrayed by his closest friend, his mind was in complete turmoil. A jumble of thoughts, some true, some false, swirled together, leaving him somewhat confused. Yet he knew he had no choice. Even though he desperately wanted to devour Pang Yi alive, he could only raise his head, close his eyes tightly, and say:

"This junior... is utterly devoted, all for the sake of my Gujun family!"