From the fake emperor to the concubine

"Please think about this carefully, everyone!" Zhuo Liqun pointed to the cultivator who was still healing.

"If he truly has an irreconcilable blood feud with this person, why didn't he intervene when this fellow Daoist was fighting bloody battles with humans and beasts deep within the cave?!"

Everyone's gaze involuntarily focused on the healer.

His robes were torn and stained with large patches of dried, blackened blood and green monster slime, and his exposed skin was covered with claw marks of varying depths.

The burns and bruises left by the internal energy shock, the slight cave-in in his chest, and the wheezing sound of his breathing like a broken bellows all indicated that his internal organs had been severely damaged. His entire being was extremely weak, like a candle flickering in the wind.

Zhuo Liqun pointed to the shocking injuries and said eloquently, "Fellow Daoists are all discerning people. Just by looking at the injuries on his body, you should understand that this person has just experienced a fierce life-or-death battle not long ago!"

"This battle was bound to be extremely dangerous. Not only did it leave him with fatal injuries, but it could have even meant he would never return from that perilous place!"

His voice carried a battle-hardened certainty, "At least, if it were me, Zhuo, who had a grudge against this person..."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes. "I will definitely choose to make my move when he is caught in a fierce battle, unable to defend himself, and on the verge of death from exhaustion of spiritual energy. This way, I can not only easily succeed, but also take advantage of the strength of his enemy. More importantly, that place is deserted, and not many people will witness my battle with my enemy!"

"After all..." Zhuo Liqun's voice suddenly turned cold: "No one knows whether taking action in full view of others will attract attention, or whether some busybodies who see injustice will interfere."

He emphasized the words "seeing injustice on the road," and his gaze swept over the few cultivators who had been shouting earlier: "If any cultivator really couldn't stand by and do something to stop me, wouldn't my blood feud be ruined?"

Zhang Yunfan stepped forward at the opportune moment, standing beside Zhuo Liqun, and took over the conversation. His voice was clear and calm, like the flow of an ice spring: "So, this person's so-called revenge was precisely chosen to be carried out by the well where there are many eyes and ears, right when the target has just escaped danger and begun to heal and recover?"

A mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips. "Do you all really think this is reasonable?"

This meticulous analysis was like clearing away the clouds to reveal the sun, instantly making most of the cultivators present show expressions of understanding and conviction.

Although these words were not enough to convince all those who had doubts, most reasonable monks felt they made perfect sense.

The sense of justice that had been stirred up in my heart also dissipated by more than half.

A few who sensed something was wrong wisely kept their mouths shut, not wanting to cause any more trouble.

Just as Zhang Yunfan and Zhuo Liqun were preparing to continue interrogating the assassin in their hands, the unconscious scholar on the ground, and the assassin.

hum!
Without warning, a very faint buzzing sound emanated from the space beside the well, yet it made everyone's soul tremble!

In the center of the open space where everyone was gathered, the air rippled like the surface of water after a pebble was thrown in, creating visible, transparent ripples!

Right at the center of this ripple, the figure of a young disciple dressed in the Zheng family's signature blue robe appeared out of thin air without warning!

His appearance was incredibly bizarre. First, he appeared as a blurry, distorted, semi-transparent phantom, like a reflection in water, its outline swaying uncertainly in the ripples.

Immediately, the phantom solidified rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, its color, texture, and details filling in completely in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, a living, breathing, and composed Zheng family disciple stood before everyone as if he had stepped out of a painting.

The whole process was faster than usual, yet it carried a strange sense of harmony that resonated with this grotto-heaven.

Although the onlookers found the way it appeared somewhat magical, revealing an incomprehensible spatial mystery, they quickly realized that this place was a blessed land controlled by the Zheng family, so they were relieved and did not show too much surprise.

This must be some special function or authority of this mysterious gourd-shaped cave.

After all, judging from the fluctuations in his aura, the Zheng family member who came was at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. Although he was not bad, he was still weaker than most of the cultivators present.

Even they couldn't achieve such a bizarre, almost teleporting appearance. How could this mediocre member of the Zheng family possess such incredible supernatural abilities?
Otherwise, the Zheng family wouldn't have been attacked by that so-called enemy, almost wiped out, and become a laughing stock in the entire Xuanzhou, right?

The Zheng family member looked solemn and respectfully clasped his hands in a salute to Zhang Yunfan and Zhuo Liqun, who had stepped forward. His blue robe sleeves fluttered slightly in the wind as he said, "Thank you both for your righteous help and keen insight in helping my Zheng family expose this treacherous rat who was lurking in the trial and harboring evil intentions."

His voice was clear and resonant, carrying the composure characteristic of someone from a prominent family.

"We, the Zheng family, are deeply grateful for your righteous deeds and will surely repay you handsomely."

"We are currently at a critical juncture in the trial,"

The Zheng family member's gaze swept over the various expressions on the faces of the people gathered around the well: "You two shouldn't be distracted by this. Let's hand these two treacherous fellows over to our Zheng family to take back, interrogate them thoroughly, and find out who's behind them. What do you say?"

This was originally a family matter of the Zheng family. In addition, this member of the Zheng family was humble and polite, and spoke sincerely. He was completely unlike the arrogant and domineering disciples of the major sects and families that they had seen before.

Zhang Yunfan and Zhuo Liqun exchanged a glance, both seeing agreement in each other's eyes. Their intention was also to maintain order, not to overstep their bounds.

"That's only right." Zhuo Liqun laughed heartily and tossed the limp assassin in his hand over like a sack of potatoes.

Zhang Yunfan also gestured towards the unconscious scholar on the ground: "This one's 'fainting' is perfectly timed, let's take him along too."

The Zheng family member nodded slightly, and without any visible movement, two soft beams of blue light enveloped the assassin and the scholar, binding them like invisible ropes.

He once again clasped his hands in greeting to Zhang Zhuo and the other two cultivators around him. His figure, along with the two men, seemed to merge into the water, creating ripples in the air before disappearing without a trace, leaving only faint fluctuations of spiritual energy.

Now, the truth has come to light.

The generosity, fairness, and responsibility shown by the Zheng family today are like a breath of fresh air, completely washing away all previous suspicions.

No one at the well anymore suspected that the Zheng family had ulterior motives in holding this apprenticeship ceremony.

Since the Zheng family itself has no problems.

So, what are the identities of those who openly and secretly cause trouble for the Zheng family, and even go so far as to send people to infiltrate and sabotage them? Their sinister intentions are self-evident, aren't they?

Many cultivators exchanged glances with a tacit wariness in their eyes.

Time passed quietly, and the area around the well returned to a surface calm, but the tension in the air had not completely dissipated. A full half hour had passed.

The cultivator, who had been inexplicably framed for the heinous crime of slaughtering his entire family, exhaled a breath of foul air tinged with blood and slowly opened his eyes.

His face was deathly pale, his lips were cracked, and his forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat. He forced himself to look inside his body and check his condition. He immediately shook his head with a bitter smile, the corner of his mouth tugging at his wound, making him wince in pain.

The situation was extremely bad. The internal injuries were like being burned, and the broken ribs were only barely held in place by spiritual energy; even the slightest exertion would cause excruciating pain.

With the spiritual energy in his meridians depleted, most of his injuries had only recovered to less than 30%.

A strong sense of weakness swept over my entire body like a tidal wave.

Let alone continuing the trial, even leaving this place safely will likely be extremely difficult.

If any further unforeseen events occur, it's questionable whether he can even survive.

"Sigh..." he sighed inwardly, filled with frustration and resentment: "What bad luck!"

It's such a pity to miss such a good opportunity. If I could join the Zheng family, even as an outer disciple, perhaps I could change my fate as a wandering, aimless cultivator?

As the cultivator was rubbing his intact leg in frustration, lamenting his bad luck, he suddenly felt countless gazes, as if they were tangible, falling upon him. Those gazes were complex and unfathomable, containing sympathy, curiosity, and scrutiny.

He looked up in surprise, glancing around blankly, only to find that almost all the cultivators around him were staring at him with complicated expressions! It was as if his face was blooming with joy.

"This... fellow Daoists?" He subconsciously looked down to check himself. Although he was covered in wounds, his clothes were tattered, and he looked utterly disheveled, in this environment where there were many injured people around the well, his appearance shouldn't have attracted so much attention, right?
What's more, isn't there someone lying nearby who is even more seriously injured and barely breathing?
In order to recover from his injuries and save his life as quickly as possible, he had just used an extremely desperate, almost self-destructive, secret method: forcibly entering a deep meditative state and burning a portion of his essence and blood to stimulate his spiritual power to heal.

Most cultivators would only dare to use this kind of deep meditation in an absolutely safe secluded meditation room.

He took such a risk out of necessity.

He participated in the trial alone, with no teammates to trust and no one to protect him.

Rather than slowly recovering and risking sudden death in the perilous cave, it's better to take a big gamble.

He was betting that with so many people around, there wouldn't be any fool who would dare to kill him in public. This was practically his only chance of survival.

Zhuo Liqun looked at him, who seemed to have just escaped death, still bewildered and blank, as if he had no idea how close he had come to the brink of death. He rolled his eyes in exasperation. With a wave of his hand, a pill the size of a longan, emitting a soft bluish-green glow and the fragrance of herbs, flew steadily to the cultivator as if guided by invisible threads.

"Kid, you've got guts, you've got guts!" Zhuo Liqun's voice carried a hint of rough admiration.

"Aren't you afraid of being easily killed in this chaotic place where you dare to enter a meditative state?"

He pointed to the pill. "Here, this Green Wood Rejuvenation Pill is mild in nature. It can help you heal your hidden injuries in the future. Take it and eat it. Consider it a reward for your courage!"

The cultivator was taken aback at first, then his eyes flashed with unbelievable joy.

He recognized the elixir as a valuable and precious medicine for healing and preserving life. In this critical moment of life and death, he had no time for polite formalities or excuses.
"Thank you, senior!" His voice was hoarse but full of gratitude. Without saying a word, he took the pill that still had the warmth of Zhuo Liqun's palm and swallowed it without hesitation.

The pill melted instantly upon entering the mouth, and a gentle yet powerful current of vitality surged into every part of the body.

"Interesting!" Zhuo Liqun's eyes lit up when he saw the cultivator swallow the pill without hesitation, and he laughed heartily.

His voice boomed, drawing the attention of the surrounding cultivators: "Good! Decisive enough! No beating around the bush! Today's Zheng family's disciple-acceptance ceremony was definitely worth it; we've met some very interesting people."

Although the Qingmu Rejuvenating Pill that Zhuo Liqun gave was of good quality, it seemed a bit wasteful to use it to treat this level of external and internal damage under normal circumstances.

After all, this pill is better at nourishing the body's essence and repairing hidden injuries.

But think about it carefully, what juncture is it now?
His life hung by a thread; he was in imminent danger!

If we don't use it now, are we going to save it for our graves? No matter how precious the elixir is, it's not worth a living life!

After the cultivator took the pill, his complexion visibly regained a rosy hue, and his tightly furrowed brows relaxed, clearly indicating that the medicine was working gently and quickly.

Zhuo Liqun nodded in satisfaction and said no more.

This little incident lasted no more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and the well quickly returned to its previous tranquility.

As time went by, the fierce struggle deep within the Calabash Cave seemed to be coming to an end, and more and more people arrived at the well, like rivers flowing into the sea.

Some people were in high spirits, clearly having reaped considerable rewards.

Some were in a sorry state, dragging their heavy injuries.

Others remained silent, their eyes darting around, seemingly plotting something.

The open space around the well gradually became crowded, with the scents of various medicinal herbs and minerals mixed with the smells of sweat and blood, creating a peculiar scene.

Meanwhile, the wine jar on the wooden table in front of Zhang Yunfan and Zhuo Liqun gradually emptied.

The two chatted about everything under the sun, discussing principles and laws in a lively atmosphere.

When Zhang Yunfan downed the last slightly cloudy glass of strong liquor, a flash of heroic spirit appeared in Zhuo Liqun's eyes, and he slammed the rather valuable white jade wine cup, carved with cloud patterns, onto the table!
Clap!

A crisp sound!
The white jade wine cup couldn't withstand the immense force and shattered instantly, turning into more than a dozen uniformly sized, sharp-edged porcelain shards scattered across the table.

"That was great!" Zhuo Liqun exhaled a strong breath of alcohol, a hearty smile on his face, his eyes fixed intently on Zhang Yunfan.

"Brother, although we have only known each other briefly, we feel like old friends from the first meeting, and we are as close as brothers!" His voice was loud and clear, filled with sincere emotion.

"To be honest, I, Zhuo, have been traveling the world for many years, and there are very few people who I truly admire and want to be friends with. You, Brother Zhang, are one of them."

"Actually... I've long had the idea of ​​burning incense and praying to heaven with you, becoming sworn brothers!"

A flush of alcohol and excitement rose on his rugged face, and his eyes were fervent.

Then Zhuo Liqun's tone abruptly changed. A complex and indescribable heaviness flashed deep within his burning gaze, and his voice lowered slightly: "It's just a pity..." (End of Chapter)