Blind Ghostwriter: Starts with the full level of Nine Yang Magic Skill

Chapter 204 The Immortal
Juyan County, Shenjingtun.

The departure of Gu Mo and his companions had no impact on Shenjingtun, which now had several hundred people. As for the mysterious Ruins of Kuo, they did not reappear near Shenjingtun in the following days, so they naturally did not attract any explorers and remained calm and undisturbed.

This morning,

As always, after finishing his meal, Li Zhongqing prepared to seek treatment from Qi Miaoxuan.

He had just stepped out the door when he saw Du Sha coming towards him.

"Your Highness," Du Sha said, bowing, "Are you going to see Mr. Qi?"

Li Zhongqing nodded and said, "Yes."

Du Sha said, "There's no need to go. Mr. Qi just came to say goodbye. He left you a pill, saying that taking it will completely eliminate the Jade Spirit Saliva."

As he spoke, Du Sha handed Li Zhongqing a small porcelain bottle.

Li Zhongqing took the porcelain bottle and said in a deep voice, "Why did Mr. Qi leave without saying goodbye?"

Du Sha chuckled and countered, "Does Your Highness truly not understand why Mr. Qi left without saying goodbye?"

Li Zhongqing sighed helplessly and said with some disappointment, "It seems they are unwilling to accept my offer of recruitment. Gu Mo is like that, and so is Mr. Qi. Alas, if these extraordinary people could serve the court, it would be a blessing for all the people!"

Du Sha then said, "Your Highness, although Mr. Qi is used to a life of leisure and is unwilling to serve in office, after spending these past few days with you, he still admires your philosophy of governance and thinks you have the qualities of a wise ruler. Knowing your current predicament, he has specially recommended someone to you."

"Who is it?" Li Zhongqing asked hurriedly.

Du Sha said, "The number one expert in Qingzhou is Ye Jinglan, the former leader of the Heavenly Blade Sect and the current deputy leader of the Martial Alliance. Your Highness has been away from Daqian for a long time and may not have heard of him. He is a young expert who has emerged in recent years."

Although only in his early thirties, his martial arts skills and abilities are extraordinary. He was originally one of the newly appointed Ten Grandmasters of the Qian Kingdom, but shortly after being listed, a major battle among masters occurred in Qingzhou, which propelled Gu Mo to the top ten. He is currently the second most outstanding young talent in the Qian Kingdom's martial arts world after Gu Mo.

Li Zhongqing became agitated for a moment, but also worried, "This Ye Jinglan is so outstanding, and has such a large base of influence in the martial arts world. Will he accept my offer of recruitment and join my ranks?"

Du Sha said in a deep voice, "Mr. Qi's recommendation should be fine. A few months ago, a turmoil occurred in Qingzhou, involving the brotherhood between Ye Jinglan and his junior brother Chu Tianqing. The misunderstanding between the two over the years was resolved, and their forces merged. However, as the saying goes, two tigers cannot share one mountain. In the short term, relying on the brotherhood between the two can keep things peaceful, but as time goes on, conflicts will inevitably arise, and the final result will definitely be that they become enemies."

Ye Jinglan was well aware of this, so he decided to leave the Qingzhou Martial Arts Alliance and do something else. According to Mr. Qi, Ye Jinglan was proficient in military strategy and had long desired to serve in the government, but he had never had a suitable opportunity.

"Your Highness, you understand that the path to advancement in the imperial court is both difficult and easy. It has nothing to do with ability, but rather with whether one has the background of a powerful family or aristocratic clan. Therefore, Ye Jinglan has always mingled in the martial arts world. Now that he intends to leave the Martial Alliance to pursue other endeavors, this is the perfect opportunity for Your Highness to recruit him."

Li Zhongqing quickly asked, "Where is he right now?"

Du Sha said, "After the Qingzhou Martial Arts Alliance was established, Ye Jinglan went to stay with Mr. Qi under the pretext of recuperating from his injuries."

Li Zhongqing hurriedly said, "Chief Constable Du, could you please arrange the itinerary as soon as possible? I need to go to Spring God Valley myself!"

“Going is possible,” Du Sha said, “but Your Highness, as the saying goes, a ruler chooses capable ministers, and ministers choose wise rulers. This Ye Jinglan is no ordinary person. You must understand that Ye Jinglan is not only powerful in martial arts, but also has almost the entire martial arts world of Qingzhou behind him. Although the martial arts world of Qingzhou cannot influence the court, and the help it can provide you in the court is not as great as that of aristocratic families, the martial arts world of Qingzhou represents all walks of life in Qingzhou, and its economic influence is by no means inferior to that of ordinary aristocratic families. Secondly, it also means that many martial arts masters in Qingzhou can be used by Your Highness.”

Li Zhongqing quickly replied, "Chief Constable Du, please rest assured. I understand the situation and will treat him with the utmost respect. I will never slight him."

……

Yellow sand filled the sky, the north wind howled, and the grandeur and desolation of the desert spread wildly across the land. As far as the eye could see, there were only endless, lifeless sand dunes, gleaming a dazzling golden color under the scorching sun.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by the rapid sound of hooves, and a group of martial arts practitioners galloped in.

The horses' hooves kicked up clouds of dust, but they couldn't hide the eagerness and excitement on their faces.

As they drew closer, some people could no longer contain their excitement. Gazing into the depths of the desert, they shouted, "Everyone, the ancient city of Kuxu is just ahead! Don't miss this great opportunity!"

"Old Ma, be careful, or you might not be able to get out!"

"Haha, I heard you recently snatched a concubine, she's gorgeous, be careful she doesn't end up with someone else!"

"..."

The crowd laughed and joked, even though they knew the ruins were dangerous and that a moment's carelessness could lead to death. No one took it seriously. This was the world of martial arts, where there was no shortage of desperate people, perfectly illustrating the saying that people die for wealth and birds die for food.

The martial arts practitioners spurred their horses on, the steeds neighing as they galloped towards the dreamlike mirage. The ancient city, appearing and disappearing in the ethereal light, its majestic walls and towering pavilions testifying to its past glory and mystery. "I've heard that the ancient city of Xunxu holds unparalleled martial arts manuals. Whoever obtains them can dominate the martial world. The Qiongshan Sect incident that caused such a stir in the martial world recently—Bai Qiliao's zombie-like martial arts were brought out from the Xunxu ruins," a lean man licked his chapped lips, his eyes filled with longing.

“Martial arts skills aren’t that important. I’ve heard that the ancient city of Kuxu was once the imperial city of the Kuxu Kingdom. It’s full of countless rare treasures. Just take out a few and you’ll be able to live a carefree life for the rest of your days,” said a burly man standing next to him.

"..."

As they spoke, the group drew ever closer to the ancient city.

No one discussed how many people would successfully get in, or how many of them would come out alive.

at this time,

On a desolate mountain in the distance, Qi Miaoxuan sat on a rock watching the people rush towards the ancient city of Kuxu. Beside him stood a swordsman wearing a bamboo hat. The swordsman slowly took off the hat to reveal his true face, which was none other than Ye Jinglan, the number one expert in Qingzhou.

"How many of these people do you think can go in?" Ye Jinglan placed his bamboo hat at his feet and spoke slowly.

"I don't know," Qi Miaoxuan said. "But I do know that none of those who successfully found the entrance to the ancient city in that mirage came out alive."

"Are you so sure?" Ye Jinglan said, "Didn't you come out alive back then? He Changqing also came out alive forty years ago."

Qi Miaoxuan chuckled and said, "I almost died in there back then, and I'm still being hunted down to this day. As for He Changqing from forty years ago, let alone that good-for-nothing, just thinking about him makes me angry."

Back then, I risked my life to keep him alive, hoping that after he gained some benefits, he would do everything he could to continue searching for the ancient city of Kuxu. After all, with his influence in the northern desert, if he searched thoroughly, he might actually find it. Even if he didn't find it, it would still cause a huge uproar, making more people aware of it and prompting the entire northern desert to search for it.

But he got hooked on some lousy zombie technique and ended up killing himself. All that effort to save him, taking dozens of stabs for nothing.”

Ye Jinglan said, "Why don't you start a treasure hunt yourself in the northern desert?"

"How dare I?" Qi Miaoxuan said, "There's some old geezer who's been chasing me. As soon as I use my power in the Northern Desert, he immediately notices and chases me like a mad dog. It's been like this for hundreds of years. You know, I've come here every time, but only forty years ago did I muster up the courage to take a gamble, and that's when I ran into that good-for-nothing He Changqing."

Ye Jinglan looked at Qi Miaoxuan suspiciously and said, "Have you really lived for hundreds of years?"

"You still don't believe me?" Qi Miaoxuan said, "What? Isn't the Qilin blood I got for you powerful enough?"

Ye Jinglan said, "The blood of the Qilin is very strong, that's undeniable, but it has nothing to do with immortality, does it?"

Qi Miaoxuan chuckled and said, "Do a good job. I've already secured this opportunity for you. With the help of the Second Prince, you can take control of the Qian Kingdom's court. Then, when they send troops to find the spirit race at the Ruins of Kuo, you'll know whether they are truly immortal."

Ye Jinglan pondered for a moment, then said, "Even with me combined, you still can't get in?"

Qi Miaoxuan said, "The difficulty isn't in breaking into the Ruins of Kuru, but that old guy who's been chasing me for hundreds of years. I have absolutely no idea how strong he is. Even with you and Gu Mo added, I'm still not confident." Qi Miaoxuan took a sip of wine and said with a smile, "Speaking of that kid Gu Mo, I'm really growing to like him more and more. I've lived for hundreds of years, and this is the first time I've met such a mysterious person. That kind of aura emanating from within... doesn't seem like that of someone from this world!"

Ye Jinglan remained silent for a while before saying, "The 'Qilin' who died at Broken Soul Cliff back then, Lu Canyang later, and even now I am just an experiment in your hands. All of them combined, in your heart, they are not as important as Gu Mo, are they?"

Qi Miaoxuan said with a smile, "You are different from Lu Canyang and the others. You are my most successful experiment so far, so you are qualified to know the truth. As for Lu Canyang and that... well, I can't remember the name, there are too many. Those people will never know anything until they die."

"Am I stronger than them all?"

"No, it's because my experiment was more successful."

Ye Jinglan was silent for a moment, then said, "What exactly do you want to do by capturing those Spirit Clan people?"

Qi Miaoxuan slowly stood up and said, "You will know when it's your time." After saying that, Qi Miaoxuan patted the dust off his backside and said, "Let's go, to the Valley of Rejuvenation. The Second Prince will be coming to see you soon."

"I suspect that you were the one who poisoned the Second Prince."

"Guessed it right."

"You've been planning this day for ten years?"

"It was just something I did on a whim!"

(End of this chapter)