Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 209 The storm rises again
"Master Song, I heard that the Beastmaster Sect has a new leader and has contacted all the sects and forces that have industrial cooperation with the Beastmaster Sect. Have you met with Senior Jiang?"

Song Xian left Guzi Peak and came to the mountain gate of Qingyuan Sect. As soon as he arrived, he was invited to their mansion by the disciples of Qingyuan Sect. As soon as they met, Wang Qian immediately asked him about it. It was obvious that he cared about this matter very much.

Since the Qingyuan Sect was besieged by the forces of independent cultivators, many of its disciples died or left, and it has never recovered.

Although the sect had escaped the danger of siege and destruction in recent years, it had completely declined and without any profitable industries, it had been barely maintaining itself in this half-dead state.

This also led to the Qingyuan Sect being out of touch with the news. It was only a few days ago that they heard about Yang Jinzhang's resignation and Jiang Feng's appointment to summon the leaders of various sects and forces.

The Qingyuan Sect did not have any industrial cooperation with the Beast Taming Sect, so naturally they were not among the invited ones.

"I've seen him. Didn't he just come back from Bianxi City?"

"Master Song, could you please tell me what you discussed? Did you anticipate the situation in Bianxia Town?"

"Senior Jiang wants to learn about the three industries that our sect and the Beast Tamer Sect are collaborating on. He's just taken up his post and isn't very familiar with the Beast Tamer Sect's many affairs in Bianxi City, so he summoned all the partners."

"The peace initiative in Bianxia Town was initiated by Senior Yang. Now that he has left office, what is Senior Jiang's attitude towards this? Will the independent cultivators in Bianxia Town break the agreement and encircle our sect again?" Wang Qian frowned and asked worriedly.

Back then, the Qingyuan Sect was besieged by the forces of independent cultivators for more than a year and was almost out of food. The food they ate every day had been stored for a long time, and they had to control the amount they ate, and they were reluctant to eat even a little more.

He still remembers this past clearly, and it still feels like a lump in his throat when he thinks about it now. He really doesn't want to go through it again.

"Senior Jiang didn't mention the situation in Bianxia Town, so I didn't dare ask any further questions. Sect Leader Wang, don't worry. Those independent cultivators have already agreed to Senior Yang's peace proposal, and with the Tianshan Sect's witness, they won't dare cause trouble. Even if they break their promise, our sect will do its utmost to ensure the safety of your disciples."

Song Xian felt emotional, thinking back to when the Qingyuan Sect was the leading force in Bianxia Town. They destroyed the Yunfeng Trading Company and formed the Bianxia Town Sect Alliance. How powerful it was then. But now it has fallen to this point. They are so nervous and uneasy over a small change that has nothing to do with them.

Wang Qian was also feeling sad. Over the years, he had tried various ways to revitalize the sect, but to no avail.

The elder of Qingyuan Sect has used up all his capital. Now he has neither property nor any way out. In addition, the morale of the sect is low, so all he can do is to try his best to maintain the sect.

.........

After returning to Qingyuan Sect, Song Xian continued to practice every day. It was not that he did not care about the development of replacing Tianshan Sect, but there was no point in worrying about it.

The strategy has been decided, the tasks have been ordered and are being carried out step by step. Now we can only wait for the results.

If he ran around like a headless fly, it would easily arouse suspicion from other forces in Bianxia Town. Especially during this sensitive period, any slight movement would arouse suspicion.

It would be easier for him to confuse and paralyze others if he stayed in Qingyuan Sect to practice honestly.

At night, inside the mansion, the couple hugged each other tightly.

Su Zhirou lay in his arms, her face pressed against his.

"Husband."

"Ok?"

"Why don't we leave here! Leave Xijiang County." Su Zhirou squeezed into his arms, as if she wanted to melt into his body.

"Huh?" Song Xian was stunned for a moment, not knowing why she suddenly said such a strange thing: "Leaving Xijiang County, where are you going?"

"You can go wherever your husband wants."

"Didn't you say you were leaving Xijiang County? And you didn't say where you were going. Why are you suddenly saying this?"

"Let's leave here, leave Hunyuan Sect, and your husband won't have to worry about the sect's affairs anymore."

Song Xian smiled, knowing that she was worried about her recent hard work for the Tianshan Sect and her daily worries about this matter. "You don't want to be the Sect Master's wife anymore after leaving the sect?"

"No, I just want to stay with my husband every day, serve him, and never be separated from him for a moment."

"No wonder people always say big breasts mean no brains, they're talking about you. If we leave the sect and lose our resources, how will we build our foundation in the future? If we can't build our foundation, then we can only live for a few decades at most. After building our foundation, we can still live for hundreds of years!"

"I don't want my husband to worry about these things."

"Then you should put in more effort and serve me well, instead of just talking big. When I really ask you to work hard, you're lazy."

...........
"Son-in-law, Master Zhang Ningyuan came last night and said he had something important to see you about. I didn't dare to disturb him, so he asked me to report to him today." The next day, after waking up, the couple dressed neatly and called Xiaohong to prepare a meal. She spoke.

"When did he come?" Song Xian's expression brightened. Zhang Ningyuan asked to see him last night. It seemed that there was some progress in the Tianshan Sect.

"The housekeeper told me that he came to the mansion around 12:00 yesterday and asked to see you."

"Go and ask Senior Brother Ning Yuan to come and see him." Song Xian immediately stood up and was about to go and see him.

"Wait a minute, Xiaohong, tell the housekeeper to take him to the waiting room. Let your husband eat first." Su Zhirou held his hand.

"Go!" Song Xian had no choice but to wave his hand, and Xiaohong left.

I had a quick breakfast and when I arrived at the waiting room, Zhang Ningyuan was already waiting.

"Master, I've got the Tianshan Sect's accounts." Zhang Ningyuan immediately came forward upon seeing him enter, and eagerly took out an account book. "Here are the accounts for the Tianshan Sect's first-grade, mid-quality Red Flame Stone Mine for the past ten years."

"Great!" Song Xian was delighted. He took the account book and flipped through a few pages. Row after row of it listed the amounts mined at the mine. "How did you get this? Who did you get it from? Is it trustworthy?"

Zhang Ningyuan said, "I followed the Sect Master's instructions and went to the Fengyao Valley Intelligence Exchange to find Wang Fan. I asked him about the internal situation of the Tianshan Sect and learned from him that a cultivator named Luo Xiang, who was in charge of the stone mine, was extremely addicted to gambling. So I waited at the gambling house where this person often frequented and got to know him at the gambling table."

"After that, I spent money and teamed up with others to set up a gambling game. I let him win some money at first, and then after he fell for it, I made him lose everything and lent him a thousand spirit stones."

"I made another request, asking him to forgive the spirit stones he borrowed and give him another 2,000 spirit stones, and to provide him with the account books of this stone mine. Just like that, he handed the account books to me."

Song Xian nodded with satisfaction: "Does he know why we took the account books?"

"I don't know. He was also curious about what I was doing with the account book. Of course, I didn't tell him and just told him to do it. He didn't ask any more questions and gave it to me for the spirit stones."

"Let's go to Bianxi City immediately."

"Will this one mine account book be enough? Do you want more?"

"No, this one is enough. If we have more, it will easily alert the enemy and cause more trouble. If the Tianshan Sect knew we were secretly collecting its account books, they would definitely be aware of our intentions and take precautions. We will give this to Xu Hao and let him verify it. If the account book handed over by the Tianshan Sect is not correct, Jiang Feng will definitely re-investigate all the accounts. It is much better for them to do this than for us to do it."

…………

Dark clouds covered the moon and it rained heavily.

In Luofeng Valley, inside a brightly lit house, the sound of stringed instruments lingered in the air, and a group of graceful women in revealing clothing, revealing their snow-white skin, danced lightly inside.

In the main seat, the chieftain, Xu Quan, held a beautiful woman in his arms. Below him sat several other chieftains, all toasting and enjoying themselves.

When the music stopped, one of the men sitting upright finally asked, "Boss, I heard the Beastmaster Sect's new leader in Bianxi City has been replaced. What's his attitude towards Bianxia Town? Is the peace initiative led by Yang Jinzhang still effective?"

Xu Quan's expression changed and he waved his hand. All the musicians and dancers who were singing and dancing in the hall retreated, including the charming woman in his arms who also stood up and left.

"I summoned you all here today for this very matter. To tell you the truth, Bianxia Town may be experiencing major changes."

Seeing his expression turn serious, several people sat up straight. One of them asked, "What do you mean? Could it be related to the newly appointed leader of the Beastmaster Sect? Does he not recognize the peace initiative in Bianxia Town that Senior Yang previously led?"

"That's all trivial. From now on, our goal is to replace the Tianshan Sect and enter the Tianshan Mountains."

Hearing this, everyone was shocked and looked at each other.

"Replacing the Tianshan Sect? With our strength, we are no match for them! Besides, they have the Beast Taming Sect behind them."

"Yes! Why did the Valley Master suddenly come up with this idea? This will affect the entire body and may very well bring us catastrophic disaster."

"Although the Tianshan Sect's foundation-building cultivators are rumored to have died, their overall strength is still much greater than ours. We cannot contend with them on our own unless we unite with other forces in Bianxia Town."

Xu Quan waved his hand, silencing the clamor of astonishment. "Do you think I'm crazy? I certainly have a reason for saying we should replace the Tianshan Sect."

"It's reported that the newly appointed Beast Taming Sect leader and Yang Jinzhang are at odds with each other. It can even be said that they are as hostile as fire and water."

"And the Tianshan Sect was founded by Yang Jinzhang. Do you think he will keep using them?"

"To tell you the truth, Zhongwen has already gone to Bianxi City and will approach Jiangfeng to persuade him to replace the Tianshan Sect with us."

"As long as Jiang Feng nods, what does Tianshan Sect have to worry about?"

"Brothers, you all know how the Tianshan Sect started. Back then, they weren't much stronger than we are now. It was only with the support of Yang Jinzhang that they annexed and eliminated other nearby forces, and only then did they achieve their current status."

"As long as we can get Jiang Feng's support, it's no problem for us to replace the Tianshan Sect. This is a golden opportunity for us to grow and develop. We must not miss this opportunity. Once it's lost, it will never come back."

"Brothers, think about it. If we can replace the Tianshan Sect and station ourselves in the Tianshan Mountains, how much benefit will we gain?"

After hearing what he said, the expressions of the people varied, ranging from worry to surprise to joy.

"Since the boss has made a decision and summoned us, what are your instructions? What do you need us to do?"

"Zhongwen has already gone to Bianxi City, and we must also prepare here. From now on, I want you to send more people to keep a close eye on the movements of other forces in Bianxia Town."

"Also, you should contact the other factions in the Loose Cultivator Alliance separately. Using the name of the new leader of the Beastmaster Sect, ask them about their attitude towards the situation in Bianxia Town and strive to rebuild the alliance."

"If Zhongwen succeeds, we will unite with them to deal with the Tianshan Sect. When we enter Tianshan, we will still be the leader."

As Xu Quan was speaking, suddenly, several loud sounds like loud bells rang out.

Everyone was stunned and looked at each other, seeming to be at a loss.

This loud bell is the early warning bell set up in the valley. Once it rings, it means that there is an extremely urgent matter and everyone needs to gather immediately.

Xu Quan was also a little confused when he first heard the bell, but he quickly reacted and his face changed drastically. Before he could say anything, he saw a man rushing into the room and shouting in panic, "Oh no, Valley Master, a large number of cultivators appeared outside. They are from the Tianshan Sect."

.........

At night, the moon is bright and the stars are shining, Qingfengfang and Hunyuan Pavilion.

Seeing Xu Hao approaching from the corner, Song Xian immediately went to greet him with a smile on his face: "Friend Xu, your presence is a great honor to our humble shop."

"No need to be polite. Sect Leader Song said he wanted me here for something important. I wonder what it is?"

"Please go inside and discuss in detail."

The two men entered the shop, and in another shop on the same street, a man saw this scene and left quickly.

"Master Song, please speak directly if you have anything to say!" Inside the room, the two sat opposite each other. Without any greetings, Xu Hao went straight to the point.

If he had not previously received two top-grade magical instruments and a three-colored spiritual lotus from him, he would never have come all the way to the market to meet him.

"Excuse me, Fellow Daoist Xu, has your master mentioned the Tianshan Sect recently?" Song Xian poured him a glass of wine attentively.

"I've already said this before. This is completely Master Song's overthinking." Xu Hao couldn't possibly reveal the master-disciple relationship to outsiders. An impatient expression flashed across his face. "Master Song, if you don't have anything else to say, I'll be leaving."

"If Master discovered that the Tianshan Sect was deceiving and fabricating things, intentionally trying to deceive him, what would he think of the Tianshan Sect?"

"What does Sect Leader Song mean by this?"

Song Xian stopped beating around the bush and took out the account book, handing it to him. "This is the account book for a first-grade, medium-quality red flame stone mine under the jurisdiction of the Tianshan Sect. I believe the Tianshan Sect should have reported the status of each industry to Senior Jiang."

"Fellow Daoist Xu, you can compare this account book to see if the Tianshan Sect has deceived Senior Jiang. If not, then forget it."

"If they are deliberately deceiving Senior Jiang in this Red Flame Stone Mine, then there must be deception in other industries as well. I hope Fellow Daoist Xu can see clearly and report the true situation to Senior Jiang to prevent him from being deceived by these rats."

Xu Hao took the account book, flipped through a few pages, and then put it away calmly: "Where did you get this?"

Song Xian then truthfully recounted the process of obtaining the power. He wanted to replace the Tianshan Sect, which Xu Hao had already known, so there was nothing to hide from him.

"I will investigate this matter. If the Tianshan Sect has indeed deceived Master, I will report it to Master. Does Sect Leader Song have anything else to say?"

"No more, thank you for coming here, Brother Xu."

Xu Hao stood up and was about to leave.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, if your respected master asks about the account book, please help us keep a secret to prevent him from thinking we are trying to sow discord and causing him displeasure."

Xu Hao glanced at him and left the room.

Song Xian accompanied him to the outside of the shop before turning back here.

"Master, what should we do next?" Zhang Ningyuan immediately came forward and asked.

"We have done everything we can. Now we can only wait for an opportunity." Song Xian looked ahead. Although Xu Hao tried hard to remain calm when he looked through the account books, he noticed the change in Xu Hao's eyes when he observed carefully from a close distance. If his guess was correct, there must be something wrong with the accounts submitted by the Tianshan Sect.

(End of this chapter)