Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

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After bidding farewell to Deng Jiugong, Tu Xingsun immediately sneaked back to his tent under the cover of night and eagerly took out the golden elixir.

He sat cross-legged, holding the pill in both hands, his eyes filled with greed. The pill given by the black-robed man was golden in color, with patterns like flowing clouds. Just by placing it in his palm, he could feel a warm medicinal power seeping into his body through his skin, stimulating his magical power to begin to stir.

"One pill is worth a hundred years of arduous cultivation..." Tu Xingsun licked his chapped lips. "Once I take this pill, Zhang Shan will be nothing but an ant."

Without further hesitation, he opened his mouth and swallowed the golden pill.

The pill melted instantly upon entering his mouth, and a surge of immense medicinal power rushed into his limbs and bones like a river bursting its banks. Tu Xingsun felt as if a raging fire was burning within his body, and his meridians were stretched to the point of bursting by the medicinal power. He hurriedly circulated the Jade Void Technique passed down by his sect, forcibly guiding the medicinal power back into his dantian.

"Uh...ah..."

Tu Xingsun gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead. The medicine was far too potent; his cultivation was only at the Celestial Immortal realm, and forcibly refining it was tantamount to a snake swallowing an elephant. Fortunately, the black-robed man had given instructions beforehand that this golden elixir had been refined using a special method, making its medicinal properties mild; he only needed to follow the steps to guide it.

One hour.

Two hours.

Three hours passed.

Tu Xingsun was drenched in sweat, his Daoist robe soaked through and clinging tightly to his thin body. Yet his aura was steadily rising—early stage of Celestial Immortal, mid stage of Celestial Immortal, late stage of Celestial Immortal… As dawn approached, the medicinal power was finally fully refined, and his cultivation had firmly reached the peak of Celestial Immortal, only a hair's breadth away from the True Immortal realm.

"Hahaha……"

Tu Xingsun opened his eyes, his gaze gleaming. He clenched his fist, feeling the surging magical power within him, an unprecedented sense of power welling up inside him.

"Zhang Shan, you brat, let's see how you fight me this time!"

He stood up, his bones cracking, as if he had grown taller. Of course, this was just an illusion; his short stature was natural and could not be changed by any medicine.

Tu Xingsun paced back and forth in the tent a few times, his eyes gleaming, as he began to devise a plan to deal with Zhang Shan.

A direct confrontation?

That's not advisable. Although Zhang Shan is reckless, his brother Zhang Kui is a Taiyi Golden Immortal, someone even that man fears. If he were to openly attack in the military camp, and it happened to draw out Zhang Kui, his cultivation level wouldn't be enough for him to crush him with a single finger.

We must come up with a foolproof plan.

Tu Xingsun tugged at the few sparse whiskers on his chin, his eyes darting around. A moment later, he suddenly slapped his thigh, a look of delight on his face.

"Got it!"

He thought of Deng Chanyu.

These past few days, he had been observing from the camp with a cold eye, and had already seen clearly the affair between Zhang Shan and Deng Chanyu. Zhang Shan was utterly obedient to Deng Chanyu, completely infatuated. If he were to lure Zhang Shan out of the camp in Deng Chanyu's name, and then set a trap to kill him…

At that time, all that's needed is to claim that Zhang Shan went out on patrol and was ambushed and killed by Xiqi. With no one to testify, who can do anything about it?

Tu Xingsun became increasingly pleased with himself and immediately got up and headed towards the central command tent.

Inside the tent, Deng Jiu was reviewing military documents. Seeing Tu Xingsun enter, he frowned almost imperceptibly, then quickly regained his composure and asked calmly, "What brings you here?"

Tu Xingsun bowed respectfully, a fawning smile plastered on his face: "General, I have a plan to eliminate Zhang Shan."

Deng Jiugong paused slightly with his vermilion pen, then looked up at Tu Xingsun: "Tell me about it."

Tu Xingsun stepped forward and, in a low voice, revealed his entire plan: to lure Zhang Shan out of the camp under the name of Deng Chanyu, ambush and kill him, and then stage it as a surprise attack by Xiqi.

"In this way, no one will know, and no one will be able to trace it back to us." Tu Xingsun's eyes were full of excitement. "As long as the General intervenes and gets Miss Chanyu to cooperate, this matter will surely succeed."

Deng Jiugong remained silent for a long time.

He put down his vermilion brush, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, producing a dull sound. Tu Xingsun dared not urge him, and could only wait quietly.

After a long pause, Deng Jiugong said, "This matter... I will think about it some more."

"General," Tu Xingsun said anxiously, "this is an opportunity we must not miss! Now is the perfect time to strike..."

"I said I'd think about it some more." Deng Jiugong raised his hand to interrupt him, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You may leave now."

Tu Xingsun opened his mouth, but ultimately dared not disobey, and could only reluctantly bow and take his leave.

After Tu Xingsun left, Deng Xiu, who had been standing by his side, finally couldn't hold back any longer.

He stepped forward and said urgently, "Father, what about my sister if we do this?"

Deng Jiugong closed his eyes, his face appearing exceptionally aged in the candlelight. He didn't answer his son's question, but only let out a long sigh.

Seeing this, Deng Xiu became even more anxious: "Father, Chanyu is your own daughter! You're asking her to cooperate with that scoundrel Tu Xingsun to harm Zhang Shan? With my sister's personality, she would rather die than agree. If this succeeds, how will she face people in the future? If it fails, how will she view you, her father, when she finds out?"

Deng Xiu was startled by her father's anger, but she still stood stubbornly in place, her eyes reddening.

Looking into his son's eyes, which were exactly like his deceased wife's, Deng Jiugong's pent-up anger suddenly dissipated. He slumped back in his chair, his voice hoarse: "Xiuer, do you think your father wanted this?"

"Then you..."

"If we don't do this, the three of us, father and daughters, will be fish on the chopping block, at the mercy of others," Deng Jiugong said in a low voice, his eyes filled with bitterness. "You've seen that man's cultivation level; it's unfathomable. He can bestow golden pills upon us, greatly advancing our cultivation, but he can also take our lives with a flick of his wrist. If we don't obey his orders, do you think we can survive?"

Deng Xiu was speechless.

Deng Jiugong continued, "And then there's the Investiture of the Gods. That person promised that after the deed was done, the three of us—you, my son, and I—would all be listed on the list and become gods, enjoying eternal incense offerings and free from the suffering of reincarnation. Such an opportunity is something countless people would kill for."

"But my sister..." Deng Xiu wanted to argue.

"Chanyu is my daughter, and I love her more than anyone else." Deng Jiugong closed his eyes, his voice trembling slightly. "But in this world, it's so difficult to live an upright life. As her father... I have no other choice."

A deathly silence fell over the tent.

After a long while, Deng Jiugong opened his eyes, his gaze now cold and hard. He looked at Deng Xiu and said, word by word, "Go to Chanyu and retrieve one of her personal keepsakes. It can be a jade pendant or a hairpin, as long as Zhang Shan recognizes it."

"Father!"

"This is a military order," Deng Jiugong said emotionlessly. "Go and carry it out."

Deng Xiu trembled all over, her lips quivering for a long time before she finally lowered her head, answered "Yes," and turned to leave the tent.

The curtain fell, leaving only Deng Jiugong sitting alone.

The veteran general, who had spent half his life on the battlefield, slowly raised his head, gazing at the flickering lamplight above the tent, and two lines of tears silently slid down his wrinkled face.

"Daughter...don't blame your father," he murmured, his voice barely audible. "If you must blame someone, blame this cannibalistic world..."

……

The night wind was biting, making the camp flags flutter loudly.

Deng Xiu left the central command tent and wandered aimlessly around the camp for a long time. He wrapped his cloak tighter around himself, his mind a jumble of thoughts.

Her father's words still echoed in her ears: "If we don't do this, the three of us, father and daughters, will be fish on the chopping block, at the mercy of others."

He understood his father's predicament, but how could he bring himself to cheat his sister out of her keepsake and help outsiders harm her beloved?

But he couldn't bring himself to disobey his father's orders.

Deng Xiu lingered in the camp for nearly half an hour before finally dragging her heavy steps toward Deng Chanyu's tent.

The lights were still on inside the tent.

Deng Xiu lifted the curtain and entered, only to see his younger sister sitting at the table wiping the five-colored stones. Hearing footsteps, Deng Chanyu looked up, saw her brother, and smiled, "Brother, it's so late, why aren't you resting yet?"

"I was just passing by and saw that your light was still on, so I came in to take a look." Deng Xiu forced a smile and sat down opposite her sister.

Deng Chanyu put down the five-colored stone and poured her brother a cup of tea: "Is Father finished with his work?"

"Hmm." Deng Xiu picked up his teacup, lowered his head to sip, and took the opportunity to hide the unnaturalness on his face. "Chanyu, that jade pendant on your waist... can I take a look?"

Deng Chanyu was taken aback and looked down at the mutton-fat jade pendant at her waist. It was a keepsake left to her by her mother, which she had worn close to her body since childhood and never took off.

"Why did you suddenly want to see this, brother?" She took off her jade pendant and handed it over, asking curiously.

Deng Xiu took the jade pendant, pointing to its warm, smooth texture, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He forced a smile and said, "I suddenly thought of my mother. This jade pendant... she always wore it back then."

Mentioning her mother, Deng Chanyu's eyes reddened. She lowered her head and said softly, "Yes! When Mother passed away, she gave me this jade pendant and told me to keep it safe."

Deng Xiu clutched the jade pendant in her palm, took a deep breath, stood up, and said, "It's getting late, you should rest early. This jade pendant... I'll borrow it for the night, and return it to you tomorrow."

"Brother?" Deng Chanyu looked at him in confusion.

"Brother misses Mother tonight." Deng Xiu avoided his sister's gaze, his voice somewhat muffled.

Although Deng Chanyu found it strange, seeing her brother's downcast expression, she assumed he truly missed their mother and nodded, saying, "Then take it, brother. Just remember to return it to me tomorrow."

Deng Xiu responded and left her sister's tent almost as if she were fleeing.

Outside the tent, the night wind was biting.

Clutching the jade pendant that still held her sister's warmth, Deng Xiu stood in the darkness, trembling uncontrollably. He gritted his teeth and strode towards Tu Xingsun's tent.

Tu Xingsun was lying in bed, lost in his daydreams, when he heard footsteps and immediately sat up. Seeing Deng Xiu lift the curtain and enter, his eyes lit up, and he eagerly asked, "How is it?"

Deng Xiu silently handed over the jade pendant.

Tu Xingsun snatched it away and examined it carefully by the light. After confirming that it was something Deng Chanyu wore close to her body, he was overjoyed: "Good, good! With this, our great undertaking can be accomplished."

Looking at his lewd appearance, Deng Xiu suppressed the urge to punch him and said in a deep voice, "After it's done, you are not allowed to hurt my sister in the slightest."

"Of course, of course." Tu Xingsun nodded repeatedly, his face full of a fawning smile. "Miss Chanyu is my future wife, I can't wait to pamper her."

Deng Xiu didn't want to look at this person anymore and turned to leave.

Deng Xiu didn't want to look at this person anymore and turned to leave.

Tu Xingsun didn't mind. After Deng Xiu left, he brought the jade pendant to his nose and took a deep sniff, a look of intoxication on his face: "It smells so good..."

After a moment, Tu Xingsun composed himself and began to carefully consider every aspect of the plan.

Tu Xingsun scrutinized each step three times to ensure everything was foolproof before summoning a trusted guard and giving him instructions.

The guards obeyed and left.

Tu Xingsun sat alone in his tent, polishing the iron rod until it gleamed, then took out the Immortal-Binding Rope from his robes and gently... .

"Zhang Shan, it's your good fortune to die by my hand." He grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.