Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 233 Things Went Wrong
Chen Ye walked down the bustling street, a string of candied hawthorns in his left hand and a bowl of pearl soup in his right.

Candied hawthorn is a common snack, but the candied hawthorn in Zhuguang Port seems to be special. Instead of hawthorn, the syrup contains a yellow sea fruit.

Chen Ye had never tried it before, but the subtle saltiness mixed with the syrup created a unique flavor that tasted quite good.

As for the pearl soup, it was actually sweet soup with pearl powder added, and a bowl cost thirty coins, which was quite expensive.

But the fact that this thing can be sold at roadside stalls shows that Zhuguang Port is truly wealthy.

This is the benefit that cultivators bring to mortals. Cultivators, who do not need to plunder from mortals, are the best officials and the best emperors.

This is true of Qinghe, and it is also true of Zhuguang Port.

Ordinary people live in peace and prosperity under the protection of spiritual practitioners, and their living environment is exceptionally good.

Chen Ye savored the snacks with great enjoyment, while cautiously sensing his surroundings, wary of the mastermind who might appear at any moment.

According to the book, the drug could last for several days, but its effects were strongest on the first day. In other words, if the person behind it all truly wanted to control Chen Ye, they would definitely make their move today.

But Chen Ye walked around with his face covered for a long time, and apart from him speaking up, no one seemed to deliberately come over.

Chen Ye wasn't in a hurry; he treated it like a trip and leisurely strolled around the port.

After walking around for a while, as I passed a teahouse, I suddenly heard someone call out, "Brother!"

In this world, there is only one person who calls Chen Yexian "brother".

Chen Ye looked in the direction of the sound and saw the thin young man in the teahouse, Yu Shenxing from the Yunlu Immortal Sect.

Chen Ye hurried over. This man was a true brother. If it hadn't been for his righteous words, Chen Ye might have been bullied by the Mirage Sect.

Yu Shenxing looked the same as before, but he was confined to a wheelchair due to mobility issues. However, he looked quite well and spoke with a strong voice.

Chen Ye quickly and warmly said, "Brother Yu, it's been a long time. I didn't expect to meet you here. Let me invite you for a drink."

Yu Shenxing shook his head and said, "I'll pass on the drinking. If you'd like to spend some money, just treat me to a pot of tea."

Chen Ye laughed heartily and told the shopkeeper to bring out the best tea.

After refilling Yu Shenxing's teacup, Chen Ye asked, "Brother Yu, are you also here to attend the Rift Sky Mountain Gathering?"

Yu Shenxing laughed and said, "Indeed, this is a rare and momentous event in the cultivation world, and a junior like me naturally has to come and witness it. Speaking of which, why are you here on Pearl Island, my brother? As the sect leader of the Yellow Springs Sect, shouldn't you have been at Rift Sky Mountain long ago?"

"Is that so?" Chen Ye said in confusion. "The invitation only told me to go to Zhuguang Port. I've already been to Zhuguang Baoqi Tower. That fellow Daoist Fang Zhixuan said he would send me to Lietian Mountain by boat in a few days."

Yu Shenxing also looked puzzled: "Could it be a mistake? How could the head of a sect be traveling on the same boat as us juniors? That's against the rules."

Chen Ye didn't seem to care and casually said, "It's a small matter. The Yellow Springs Sect is just a minor sect. It would be inappropriate for me to be on equal footing with the leaders of the five major sects."

Yu Shenxing didn't pay much attention to it, treating it as just a minor mistake.

“Brother, your humility is indeed commendable, but the Yellow Springs Sect can hardly be considered a small sect. The Incense Burning Sect’s territory is only a few hundred miles of Green Coffin Mountain, and the Qinghe Sword Sect is only on both sides of the Qinghe River. The combined territory of Tianxin Island, Yunlu Immortal Sect, and Mirage Sect is not even as large as that of the Northern Frontier. The Yellow Springs Sect dominates the Northern Frontier with its incense-burning techniques, and given time, it will surely become the sixth largest sect.”

Upon hearing Yu Shenxing's words, Chen Ye remained silent.

Although Yu Shenxing had spoken up for him before, and Yunlu Immortal Sect even wanted to take Chen Ye as a disciple, the title of the sixth major sect was too big for Huangquan Sect to bear now.

"Brother Yu, are you worried that you won't enjoy this tea to your heart's content? Don't worry, even if you don't praise my Yellow Springs Sect, I'll still let you drink to your heart's content." Chen Ye chuckled and changed the subject, asking curiously, "The Cloud Peak Immortal Sect has many disciples, why are you drinking tea here alone, Brother Yu? Didn't any of your fellow disciples come to participate in this grand event?"

Yu Shenxing said with a wry smile, "Of course it's not just me. They're all living in the Pearl and Treasure Pavilion and have forgotten all about home."

"So happy you forgot about home?" Chen Ye asked doubtfully, "I also stayed at the Pearl and Treasure Pavilion for a night. Although the various utensils were quite exquisite, the Cloud Peak Immortal Sect must be just as good, right?"

Upon hearing Chen Ye's words, Yu Shenxing glanced around before lowering his voice and saying, "I wasn't talking about eating and drinking, but about having fun. Didn't Fang Zhixuan mention that to you?"

Chen Ye immediately understood what Yu Shenxing meant.

Those disciples of the Yunlu Immortal Sect have fallen into a trap of romance.

Chen Ye asked, somewhat incredulously, "Just beauty? It can't be that serious, can it?"

Yu Shenxing said disdainfully, "That's not just any beauty, but a dual cultivation vessel specially trained by Tianxin Island. I've heard that once you've tasted it, you'll never want to leave. My fellow disciples have been to the Pearl Treasure Pavilion before, and they've all been waiting for this opportunity, like hungry wolves. It's really shameful."

Chen Ye originally wanted to tease Yu Shenxing and ask him why he didn't go, but he immediately realized that Yu Shenxing probably not only had difficulty walking, but also had some inconvenience in his lower body.

However, the fact that Tianxin Island was resorting to this tactic was truly unexpected for Chen Ye. Chen Ye asked, "Dual cultivation, that doesn't sound like a method used by reputable sects. Isn't Tianxin Island afraid of being criticized for doing this?"

Yu Shenxing explained, “Don’t worry, it’s not the demonic sect’s practice of absorbing malevolent energy. Dual cultivation is one of the methods of cultivation, and if practiced well, one’s progress in cultivation is not slow. It’s just that there are many things to consider when practicing it, and it’s not easy to find a suitable partner for dual cultivation. Tianxin Island has its own unique secret method that outsiders cannot learn.”

Chen Ye felt that he was not knowledgeable enough. As someone determined to cultivate for immortality, shouldn't he try dual cultivation? After all, it could increase one's cultivation level.

However, I refused yesterday, and it would be too embarrassing to ask Fang Zhixuan to make arrangements now.

It seems that dual cultivation is not for me after all.

Chen Ye felt a few emotions, then chatted with Yu Shenxing again.

Then he heard an interesting story from Yu Shenxing: according to rumors, this grand gathering at Lietian Mountain was a farewell ceremony for Zhang Qi.

At the end of the grand event, Zhang Qi will ascend to heaven in broad daylight at Lietian Mountain amidst everyone's blessings, just like his predecessors.

Chen Ye naturally didn't believe it, because Zhang Qi had no intention of ascending to immortality at all.

Yu Shenxing was unaware of this matter, and the junior disciples of the five major sects probably didn't know the details either, but the higher-ups of the five major sects must have known.

Therefore, Chen Ye was always curious about what the five major sects were planning to do by gathering at Lietian Mountain.

Is it simply a matter of deceiving the world, letting those hidden demons emerge, and then getting a sword strike from Zhang Qi?
Chen Ye sensed that things weren't so simple. The devils weren't stupid; would they really believe something so obviously deceptive?

These secrets will probably only be revealed once we reach Rift Sky Mountain.

The two chatted and drank tea for a long time, but Chen Ye didn't find the mastermind behind it all. Instead, something happened at the Pearl and Treasure Pavilion.

A servant from the Pearl and Jewel Pavilion rushed into the teahouse, found Yu Shenxing, and anxiously said, "Mr. Yu, please return to the Pearl and Jewel Pavilion quickly."

Yu Shenxing asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

The servant leaned close to Yu Shenxing and whispered, "Mr. Yu, your fellow disciple has gotten into a fight with someone, and it's gotten quite serious. Steward Fang sent me to ask you to go and mediate."

The man's voice wasn't loud, but he had seriously underestimated the hearing of cultivators. Chen Ye heard it clearly from the side, and his expression changed.

Yu Shenxing was even more astonished, and after a moment of stunned silence, he said in shock, "They started arguing? Who did they argue with?"

The servant said tremblingly, "They are all immortal masters, I dare not speak recklessly, please go back, Mr. Yu."

Although Yu Shenxing felt bewildered, he could only say to Chen Ye, "Brother, please excuse me."

Originally, Chen Ye shouldn't have interfered in the affairs of the Yunlu Immortal Sect, but recalling the poisoned pastries from that morning, coupled with this inexplicable conflict, Chen Ye said to Yu Shenxing, "Those who can stay at the Pearl and Treasure Pavilion must be disciples of the five major sects. Brother Yu knows that I have a good relationship with the Qinghe Sword Sect. If a conflict arises with the Qinghe Sword Sect, I can speak up for them."

Yu Shenxing didn't sense anything was wrong, taking Chen Ye's good intentions as the reason. He nodded and said, "Then thank you very much, brother. Let's go back together and see what trouble these troublesome junior brothers have gotten into."

Despite Yu Shenxing's leg disability, his wheelchair was a powerful tool, moving extremely fast, which Chen Ye could barely keep up with on his own two legs.

After traversing half the harbor, the two finally returned to the Pearl Tower.

As soon as he arrived at the door, Fang Zhixuan greeted him with a wry smile.

"Brother Yu, you're finally back. Your junior brothers had a few words with some fellow practitioners from the Mirage Sect, and now things have escalated. If you hadn't come back soon, they might have made a move."

Yu Shenxing asked in confusion, "How did it escalate to this level?"

Although Yunlu Immortal Sect helped Chen Ye lose face for the Mirage Sect last time, both are righteous sects. The disciples of Yunlu Immortal Sect would not provoke trouble. It is impossible for them to fight the Mirage Sect on Tianxin Island.
That's incredibly disrespectful to Tianxin Island.

Chen Ye also sensed something was wrong and couldn't help but ask, "What did you two argue about?"

Fang Zhixuan glanced at Chen Ye and said in a low voice, "Sect Leader Chen, this concerns the Yunlu Immortal Sect, so I shouldn't speak carelessly. However, in my opinion, it's just a misunderstanding. I just don't know why they are so angry. Otherwise, I wouldn't have rushed to invite Brother Yu back."

A misunderstanding?
Chen Ye felt increasingly uneasy, but since the Mirage Sect was involved, he couldn't get involved. If the Mirage Sect saw him, they would probably attack him immediately.

Chen Ye thought for a moment and said to Yu Shenxing, "Brother Yu, since it's not the Qinghe Sword Sect, I shouldn't step in, lest I provoke the Mirage Sect. I'm afraid I won't be able to help."

Yu Shenxing didn't want Chen Ye to get involved, so he quickly said, "Brother, please do as you wish. This is a matter for my Yunlu Immortal Sect, and I will handle it."

After saying that, Yu Shenxing didn't wait any longer and rushed into the Pearl and Treasure Pavilion. He absolutely couldn't make a move here.

(End of this chapter)