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

Chapter 51 Dividing the Spoils with the Fairy

Regardless of Wei Changsheng's objections, Chen Ye stripped him naked, not even sparing his shoes, leaving him with only a single garment to cover his body.

After confirming that the man had nothing of value... no, that he had no magical artifacts that could pose a danger, Chen Ye smiled and said to him, "Fellow Daoist, please don't misunderstand. I'm just ensuring my own safety."

Wei Changsheng stared at Chen Ye with a face full of humiliation and resentment, as if he wanted to imprint Chen Ye's face in his soul and haunt him even as a vengeful ghost!
"It seems that you have a deep misunderstanding about me."

As Chen Ye reached out again, Wei Changsheng was so frightened that he shouted, "Stop! I only have one left! This isn't a magic weapon, it's just silk! You might as well just give me a quick death!"

He was only wearing a single layer of clothing; if he took it off, he would be completely naked, which would be indecent.

If he were really stripped naked and tied up, he'd rather die here.

Chen Ye shook his head. How could he value face more than his life? Cultivators cultivate immortality, and this is putting the cart before the horse. No wonder he was so easily manipulated.

However, Chen Ye didn't really intend to strip him naked; instead, he helped him up.

Just as Wei Changsheng was puzzled, a dazzling sword light flew through the night sky.

Upon seeing this, Wei Changsheng immediately became excited.

This is the sword light of the Qinghe Sword Sect. It must be that Junior Sister Su who has arrived. With her here, I can survive.

Although we're in a bit of a sorry state now, at least we can make this devil pay the price!

Wei Changsheng was already thinking about how to get revenge on Chen Ye. He had to strip the little devil naked and parade him through the streets to appease his hatred.

However, just as Wei Changsheng was hoping that Su Chunyi would rescue him, this disciple of the Qinghe Sword Sect actually came to the demon's side and asked with great concern, "Sir, are you injured?"

Chen Ye shook his head, pointed at Wei Changsheng and said, "This man claims to be a disciple of the Incense Burning Sect. I wonder if Miss Su knows him?"

Su Chunyi then noticed Wei Changsheng, but seemed not to recognize his disheveled appearance. It wasn't until she looked at the Five Immortals Furnace lying to the side that Su Chunyi nodded and said, "This is Senior Brother Wei Changsheng of the Incense Burning Sect."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye thought to himself that the name was rather unlucky.

Wei Changsheng, pseudo-immortal, what kind of immortality does someone with that name have?

However, some things cannot be said directly, so Chen Ye still said quite politely, "Brother Wei is a man of outstanding appearance, and it is obvious from his appearance that he comes from an extraordinary background. Please forgive me for my rudeness just now."

Wei Changsheng was bewildered by the scene before him and excitedly said to Su Chunyi, "Junior Sister Su, this is a demon! How could you be so close to him?"

Upon hearing this, Su Chun said righteously, "Please be careful with your words, Senior Brother Wei. The gentleman is my close friend. He is just a rogue cultivator from another sect and not some kind of demon."

Wei Changsheng quickly said, "That's the Ten Thousand Souls Banner in his hand, didn't you see it?"

Chen Ye sighed, "Prejudice in people's hearts is a mountain that you can't move no matter how hard you try. If wielding the Ten Thousand Souls Banner makes you a demon, then so what?"

Chen Ye shoved the Myriad Soul Banner directly into Wei Changsheng's hand and said, "Brother Wei, now that you hold the Myriad Soul Banner, does that mean you've become a demonic cultivator?"

Wei Changsheng's face turned bright red as he angrily said, "That's sophistry!"

"Whether it's sophistry or not, I believe Brother Wei knows the answer in his heart." Chen Ye leaned closer to Wei Changsheng and whispered, "What Brother Wei saw when he was in unbearable pain just now, could it be considered sophistry?"

Chen Ye's words caused Wei Changsheng's expression to change drastically. He was originally furious and wanted to fight Chen Ye to the death, but after hearing Chen Ye say these words, Wei Changsheng's expression changed.

It wasn't just the pain he had just experienced that left a deep impression on him; more importantly, the iron hook had unearthed many long-forgotten memories.

All the "trivial matters" that he thought he had long forgotten suddenly flooded his mind. He felt that he had never cared about them, but they had all turned into sharp swords piercing his heart, causing him unbearable pain.

The demon in front of me knows all of these memories?!

Wei Changsheng's face was ashen, and it was hard to tell whether it was from anger or fear.

Wei Changsheng didn't know Chen Ye's background, nor did he understand why Su Chunyi was so close to him. The current situation left him no room for argument.

Wei Changsheng snorted coldly and said to Chen Ye, "If it is truly a misunderstanding, then please lift the restrictions on me."

Chen Ye chuckled, waved his hand, and unlocked the chains, freeing Wei Changsheng.

Wei Changsheng suppressed his hatred, straightened his clothes, and cupped his hands to Su Chunyi, saying, "Since Junior Sister Su is vouching for me, I will trust this fellow Daoist this time."

Wei Changsheng forced a smile and cupped his hands to Chen Ye, saying, "It was all a misunderstanding. I hope you will forgive me, fellow Daoist."

Seeing that Wei's knuckles were white from clenching his fists, Chen Ye knew that this Brother Wei hated him. He could only say that fate was playing tricks on him. Who would have thought that this man would resort to violence without listening to explanations?

Of course, appearances still had to be maintained, and Chen Ye politely said, "Since it's a misunderstanding, there's no need for anyone to take it to heart." Wei Changsheng snorted coldly, "In that case, fellow Daoist, could you please return my things to me?"

"Oh, Brother Wei is right, it is time to return it to you."

Chen Ye piled up everything he had just taken off and thoughtfully wrapped it in his long robe so that it would be easy for him to take it with him.

Wei Changsheng was in a very sorry state and did not want to stay here and embarrass himself. He grabbed the long robe, then summoned the Five Immortals Furnace and flew away. He really did not want to stay for even a moment longer.

But once he had flown far away and taken out the items from his long robe, Wei Changsheng couldn't help but cry out in anguish, "My Xuanyu Dragon Pattern Pendant! My Baosheng Pill! My Spirit Talisman!"

Wei Changsheng never expected that Chen Ye would dare to keep his treasures in front of Su Chunyi, and that he would take the most valuable ones.

A protective magic weapon, a bottle of elixir, and a whole bunch of spirit talismans—that was Wei Changsheng's life's savings accumulated over half a lifetime.

"You despicable scoundrel! I swear I will not rest until I avenge this!"

He wanted to go back and take it back, but when he thought of Chen Ye's strange methods and Su Chunyi's obvious collusion with him, Wei Changsheng knew that going back now would only bring him humiliation.

Wei Changsheng left through gritted teeth, leaving behind a beaming Chen Ye and a bewildered Su Chunyi.

Chen Ye smiled and took out the treasure he had just stolen, saying to Su Chunyi, "It's time to divide the spoils, Miss Su. This is what I just took from Wei Changsheng. See if you can use it."

Su Chunyi looked at Chen Ye with a puzzled expression and asked, "When did you take down these magical treasures, sir?"

Chen Ye clearly packed the package in front of the three of them, and the jade pendant was clearly in the bundle. He didn't even notice when it was taken away.

Chen Ye explained, "Rogue cultivators always know a bit about all sorts of strange and miscellaneous arts."

You should always know a little bit of the trick of plucking feathers from a passing goose or snatching chestnuts from a fire; it will come in handy when it matters most.

Chen Ye handed the pill to Su Chunyi and said, "Miss Su should be able to use this Precious Life Pill."

The pills of the Incense Burning Sect are very famous. The Precious Life Pill is extremely effective in replenishing spiritual energy, but it can only be taken after one has undergone the Qi Refining and Body Tempering process. Otherwise, the physical body will not be able to withstand the effects of the medicine and it will be harmful.

"This...isn't that a bad idea?"

Su Chunyi had never seen anything like this before, and if her elders found out, she would probably be punished.

"It's alright, consider it a gift from me. That Wei Changsheng tried to poison me as soon as he saw me. If it weren't for my methods, I would have been dead long ago. He was so reckless, so naturally I couldn't let him off so easily."

It's only because Master Chen is kind-hearted that he didn't strip Wei Changsheng of his underwear and make him crawl back naked.

Chen Ye forced a bottle of pills into Su Chun's hand, and she accepted it in a daze. Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, she quickly said, "Ah, I forgot to tell you, sir, that Wei Changsheng is here on behalf of the Burning Incense Sect to ask for the transmission of secret techniques. If you had asked, these magical treasures and pills would be nothing."

Su Chunyi never expected that she would forget such an important matter. She rushed back to Cui County in a hurry. When she saw the whole city dressed in mourning, she was worried about Chen Ye's safety. But when she saw that he was safe and sound, she forgot everything else.

"You mean the Ksitigarbha Sutra? I've already given it to you; you can do whatever you want with it."

When Chen Ye gave away the secret technique, he had already tacitly allowed the Qinghe Sword Sect to do whatever they wanted with it. The Fenxiang Sect could have just asked the Qinghe Sword Sect for it, so why let a rogue cultivator like him take advantage?
Su Chunyi explained, "After all, it is a fortunate opportunity for you, sir. This technique is especially precious to the Incense Burning Sect. As long as you speak up, you should not lack elixirs for cultivation from now on."

Chen Ye thought for a long time before finally saying, "As expected of the Qinghe Sword Sect, I admire you."

This is truly meticulous; the Qinghe Sword Sect couldn't be more righteous.

After expressing his feelings, Chen Ye asked, "But why is the Incense Burning Sect so concerned about the Ksitigarbha Sutra?"

These are so many secret techniques from prestigious schools that we can't even learn them all, so this little bit won't make a difference, unless there's something special about this technique.

"The Incense Burning Sect believes that this may be one of the secret techniques of the Heavenly Book. The Incense Burning Sect has always wanted to collect all the secret techniques of the Heavenly Book, so it attaches great importance to it."

"Heavenly Book Secret Techniques?"

Mo Ci never mentioned this, which suggests that he had once again encountered a blind spot in the lives of independent cultivators in the countryside.

Su Chunyi carefully explained to Chen Ye what the Heavenly Book was and how much importance the Incense Burning Sect attached to it.

Chen Ye's eyes grew brighter as he listened. "Fenxiang Sect, Fenxiang Sect, since you made the first move, don't blame him for slashing you hard."

Chen Ye smiled and said, "Miss Su, I think that Brother Wei is still holding a grudge. Let's go find him now. It's better to resolve a feud than to let it fester."

(End of this chapter)