Six Realms Immortal Emperor

The gray-clad man trailed far behind him, about several dozen feet behind, his movements extremely well concealed, until he saw Xu Jingtian enter a large, spacious courtyard.

The man in gray gazed at the Eastern Mansion from afar. He observed carefully for a long time, but found no trace of the person he feared, before finally heading towards the mansion. He thought to himself that as long as he didn't use his spiritual power, the person he feared shouldn't easily detect him.

"Halt!" Before the man in gray could even approach the gate of the Dongfang residence, he was stopped by one of the servants.

The man in gray frowned as he looked at the outstretched arm. Normally, he would have crippled that arm with a single blow, but he held back and quickly forced a smile.

"This is the Eastern Prefecture. Who are you to dare trespass here?" The servant glanced at the man in gray, his face full of disdain.

The man in gray quickly returned the greeting and said, "Young man, I was impetuous just now. To be honest, I have a favor to ask of you since I am new to your residence."

The servant looked up at him arrogantly and said, "Unfortunately, there are important matters at the manor today. Whatever it is, let's discuss it tomorrow!"

This was a clear order to leave; the servant finished speaking and was about to leave, not giving the man in gray a chance to speak at all.

Although the man in gray was seething with hatred, he couldn't show it. He hurriedly stepped forward to stop him and said, "I have come from afar. It is getting dark and I have not yet found a place to stay. I would like to ask your esteemed residence for lodging. I hope you can do me a favor."

As he spoke, the man in gray took out a silver ingot from his pocket, weighing about four or five taels, and stuffed it into the servant's hand.

The servant hesitated for a moment, then, fearing the others would see, quickly stuffed the money into his robes. He thought to himself, "Today is my chance to make a small fortune. From now on, if I see anyone suspicious, I'll be the first to pounce." Seeing how generous this man in gray was, he decided to extort a hefty sum from him.

The servant feigned some difficulty and said to the man in gray, "Honorable guest, you may not know this, but normally, my master would agree to let me stay overnight, let alone ten days or half a month. However, there are indeed important matters at the manor today, so it seems you will be disappointed."

The man in gray was secretly delighted, but pretended not to know anything and asked in a low voice, "Oh, your mansion is decorated with lanterns and streamers. Are you perhaps celebrating some kind of happy occasion?"

Upon hearing this, the servant's face lit up with joy, and he spoke eloquently: "You guessed right, it's our young lady! She's returned from the Immortal Sect today. The Immortal Sect, have you heard of it? It's one of the seven great immortal cultivation sects of the Purple Han Kingdom..."

The servant realized his mistake at the end of his sentence, quickly stopped, and glanced around before feeling relieved.

"Oh, is that so? Could you make an exception for me? I have some more here." The man in gray said, stuffing another large silver ingot into the servant's pocket, weighing more than ten taels, which made the servant beam with joy.

"Wait here for a moment, I'll go and tell the head steward."

The servants ran off, but the man in gray's expression changed, and he looked coldly into the Eastern Mansion.

A short while later, the servant emerged from inside, looking displeased. He said to the man in gray, "Our steward said there are urgent matters at the manor and he can't stay tonight. I pleaded with him, but he wouldn't agree." As he spoke, he observed the man in gray's expression. "Actually...actually..."

The man in gray understood what the other man meant, and cursed him inwardly for pushing his luck. He then stuffed another silver ingot into the man's hand, saying, "Young man, if you have any difficulties, just tell me."

The servant smiled sheepishly and said, "I, Qian Jingyi, am not after your money, but my dwelling is rather dilapidated. If you don't mind..."

It turned out that this person's name was Qian Jingyi. The man in gray thought to himself, "He really loves money. I'll make him pay tenfold in the future." But he still said gratefully, "Thank you, young man. I'm happy to have a place to stay for one night. I wouldn't dare to complain."

Qian Jingyi smiled all the way and carefully led the man in gray into the Dongfang Mansion.

Meanwhile, Xu Jingtian returned to the Dongfang Mansion. The large gateposts at the entrance were covered with festive decorations, and the people coming and going all had joyful expressions on their faces.

So, the eldest daughter of the Dongfang family has already returned? Xu Jingtian felt a little disappointed that he hadn't seen her enter the mansion with his own eyes.

"Hey! What are you standing there for? Can't you see everyone's busy?" Xu Jingtian had just entered the courtyard when the head steward of the manor shouted at him.

It's not that Xu Jingtian was tactless; it's just that he was still immersed in his disappointment and didn't notice that everyone in the mansion was rushing around, arranging something, while he stood there dumbfounded.

"Oh, Chief Steward, didn't you give instructions a few days ago that everything needed to be done? It's all prepared. What are you all busy with now?" Xu Jingtian asked, puzzled.

Could it be that Dongfang Siyu is dissatisfied after returning and wants to redecorate the entire mansion? Young ladies from wealthy families are indeed difficult to please, Xu Jingtian thought to himself.

"What we're preparing is none of your business, you servant! Go, go, hurry up and settle the horses and come help. We're short-handed here." The steward looked impatient and didn't bother to explain to Xu Jingtian.

Although they were all servants of the Dongfang family, the head steward shared the same surname as Dongfang, which naturally made him superior to those who did manual labor, so they wouldn't take him seriously.

"Okay!" Xu Jingtian agreed verbally, sticking out his tongue as he walked towards the stable.

"Hey, Zhao Jingcai, what are you doing moving such a big piece of wood?" Xu Jingtian settled the horses and finally pulled a familiar figure along amidst the busy crowd.

"Hey, Xu Jingtian, come and help me right away!" The one called Zhao Jingcai was grimacing under the weight of the thick log when he saw him coming and excitedly pulled him over.

"So what exactly are you all busy with? Are you building a huge structure?" Xu Jingtian pressed on. He took on the role of laborer, and although the wood was indeed heavy, it was no problem for him.

"Hey, you're not so stupid after all, you're going to set up a ring for the fight," Zhao Jingcai teased him.

"Set up a fighting arena? What for?" Xu Jingtian asked in confusion. Was it to watch Dongfang Siyu perform her sect's immortal techniques?

"Come closer, I'll tell you something else," Zhao Jingcai whispered mysteriously.

"Okay." The more he acted this way, the more curious Xu Jingtian became, so he had no choice but to lean closer and listen.

"I heard there's going to be a martial arts competition?" Zhao Jingcai deliberately lowered his voice.

"A martial arts contest? What martial arts contest?"

"What other kind of martial arts competition could there be? Of course, it's a competition among the disciples of the East. Do you think a servant like you would want to participate?" Zhao Jingcai still couldn't resist teasing him.

"Isn't the martial arts competition only held once a year at the beginning of the year? It's only a few months now, why are we having another competition?" Xu Jingtian asked, puzzled.

In order to preserve its century-old foundation, the Dongfang family encouraged its members to practice martial arts diligently. They established a rule that a martial arts competition would be held every year to reward outstanding members.

"This isn't your average martial arts competition." Zhao Jingcai glanced around to make sure no one was watching before saying, "I've only heard that the top few winners will be sent to cultivate immortal arts alongside the young lady!"

"Together with Dongfang Siyu? To cultivate immortal arts?" Xu Jingtian was so surprised he almost shouted out loud.

"Shh!" Zhao Jingcai quickly covered his mouth with his hand, looked around, and complained, "What are you getting so worked up about? It has nothing to do with you! You think you can just call the young lady by her fairy name like that?"

"Hehe, yeah, it doesn't really concern us," Xu Jingtian said with an embarrassed laugh. He said this, but in his heart he was thinking that if he could go to the sect to cultivate with Dongfang Siyu, wouldn't he be able to find his parents soon?

As night slowly fell, the entire Eastern Prefecture was enveloped in a red glow, yet the entire prefecture remained a hive of activity.

The servant Qian Jingyi was among them. A man quietly walked out of his dilapidated house. This man was the gray-clad man who had secretly followed Xu Jingtian back.

He moved nimbly, darting across the rooftops and walls of the Eastern Mansion like a ghost, and soon disappeared into the night.

When he reappeared, the man in gray stopped in front of a magnificent and imposing house. The house was brightly lit, and one could vaguely see several people walking around inside.

The man in gray leaned quietly against the blue brick wall, listening intently. The conversation inside the room immediately reached his ears without him missing a single word.

"The three spots offered by the Brahma Sect this time are an excellent opportunity, and our Dongfang family must cherish them. Therefore, we must select the most promising young disciples," a powerful voice said, indicating that the speaker possessed extremely high martial arts skills.

"Second brother, why does it have to be a young man?" a burly male voice asked, sounding somewhat displeased.

"Brother, you don't know this, but young people have the potential to cultivate because their blood is vigorous. Although we are skilled in martial arts, our bodies are already declining and will only get worse, so we are not suitable for cultivation at all. Therefore, I proposed that the younger generation of the clan have a martial arts competition, based entirely on strength, and the top three will be the candidates recommended by the Dongfang family!" the man in front explained.

"No, no, I object! You said the top three in the competition will be determined by the martial arts contest, and our Feng'er definitely won't be one of them!" the burly male voice said.

"Brother, the martial arts competition I'm talking about is the fairest for all the disciples of the East. Only in this way can we select the best candidates from the younger generation. I wonder what the other elders think?" The man in front spoke with a firm tone.

There were only a few soft coughs from the elderly, followed by a heavy silence in the room, clearly indicating that the group had had a disagreement.

"Brother, this martial arts contest isn't targeting Feng'er. I've watched this kid grow up since he was a child, and we know him very well. If we're talking about character, virtue, and talent, what aspect of Feng'er do you think he can match?" the man in front continued.

The burly male voice fell silent. He knew his own child best. After a long pause, he finally grunted and said defiantly, "Then, Second Brother, I'll do as you say. Do whatever you want. You're the head of the family anyway!"

It turned out that the man in front was Dongfang Shanzhan, and the other man was his elder brother Dongfang Yingyong. They were discussing the martial arts competition with several elders inside the room.

Dongfang Shanzhan softened his tone and said to everyone, "Actually, this is also the old patriarch's wish, so we have to obey it."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room said in unison, "Since it is the old patriarch's will, we cannot disobey him, so let us comply."

Dongfang Shanzhan readily agreed, "Then it's settled. We'll need the elders to look after us during tomorrow's martial arts competition. Anyone from the younger generation in the entire family who manages to get into the top three will be recommended by our Dongfang family to join the Brahma Sect."

Upon hearing this, the man in gray grasped the general idea. So the commotion at the Eastern Mansion was for the three Brahma Sect spots. He had already devised a plan. He slowly retreated a few steps, and with a few flashes, disappeared.