Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 457 A Moment of Compassion
—The following day, Xuanwei City

Peng Daoren was imprisoned in the same cell where Fu Neng had been held, and was temporarily guarded by Chu Yanran and Yang Baoshan, who had been urgently recalled, which showed how important it was to him.

Fei Nanying was busy and Fei Tianqin gave her another task. It was unclear whether the latter had forgotten his previous plan to have Fei Jiazhilan cultivate diligently.

These were all important matters that the headmaster Kang, a junior, could not interfere with. After spending a night in a daze, he was summoned by Fei Tianqin again.

When the old bird was in the hall, he deliberately shrank his body, and his fierce aura also dissipated a lot. When he saw Kang Dabao come, he yawned in a very human-like way, and then said: "Well, this is the golden pill that I promised you before."

Fei Tianqin casually tossed the golden pill to Kang Dabao, treating it as if it were an ordinary wild fruit, showing little interest. The latter, however, dared not be negligent and hurriedly stepped forward to catch it and examine it.

Kang Dabao felt as if the dazzling golden pill in his hand still carried the lingering warmth of Huang Siniang, and couldn't help but sigh, "It's such a pity that her hundreds of years of cultivation have been destroyed in an instant."

In the context of the entire Great Wei Immortal Dynasty, Shannan Road was located in a wild and uncivilized area, and could not be considered a place where immortals flourished.

Even for ordinary cultivators, a Golden Core cultivator is considered a celestial being. Some Foundation Establishment cultivators live peacefully and detached from worldly affairs, and may not even see the true face of a Golden Core cultivator once in their two hundred years of life, which shows how noble they are.

The sect leader Kang had not heard of such a being falling for many years, and it was rare to finally witness it in his own hands.

Golden cores of cultivators and inner cores of demonic beasts are both considered spiritual objects. They can be used in medicine to enhance cultivation; they can be used to refine pills to help people advance in their cultivation levels; and they can also be refined into external pills, like the Black-Shoeed Taoist, to enhance one's abilities.

In general, all three applications have very complicated and demanding requirements.

Needless to say, their use in medicine and alchemy is rampant. The demonic sects of the Two Rivers are so brazen that even now, there are still occasional cases of them stealing people's golden cores and refining them into spiritual objects. This is indeed the behavior of the demonic path. In the time of the founding emperor, it would have been a heinous crime that would have resulted in the confiscation of property and the extermination of the entire family. But nowadays, few people bother with such matters.

If one can refine spiritual objects that form the Golden Core stage, then refining Foundation Establishment Pills is even easier.

It is said that when the late emperor was alive, the imperial treasury was in dire straits. In addition to bestowing gifts upon the noble families, the door studs on the palace gates also served another purpose: to allocate funds to various branches of the imperial family to refine foundation-building pills in order to reverse the decline of the Kuang family.

The Grand Master Kang didn't know if the rumor was true or false, nor did he intend to investigate it further. After all, since Master Luan went into seclusion to refine pills, he currently had no ability to find a skilled alchemist who could refine pills with golden cores.

However, he had seen the finished external elixir once before the Black-Shoeed Daoist left, but he hadn't thought of asking the former to leave behind the refining method. After all, even a cautious person like Headmaster Kang wouldn't dare to dream of obtaining a fresh golden elixir himself.

"Keep it safe, look at your pathetic self." Fei Tianqin's tone was full of disdain. After saying that, he added, "This thing is a bit hot to handle. Don't keep it for too long, otherwise even if no one dares to take it from you openly, your family will still have a lot of trouble out of nowhere."

"This junior thanks the ancestor for the reminder." After the Grand Master Kang bowed deeply, he was about to find an excuse to leave when he heard Fei Tianqin say again, "No rush, accompany the ancestor to meet one of your acquaintances."

"An acquaintance?" Kang Dabao was surprised, but his doubts did not last long before he saw Fei Nanying leading a graceful and beautiful woman in.

"She Fuyi?! She... why is she here?!"

Headmaster Kang's eyes widened in surprise, but he suppressed his astonishment as he watched She Fuyi gracefully approach. She then gave Fei Tianqin a graceful curtsy and said, "She Fuyi of Wuwei Tower greets Marquis Fengcheng. May Your Excellency be well."

"You're too kind, Master She," Fei Tianqin said with a rare hint of warmth in his voice, "Please have a seat, Master She."

"Thank you, Lord Marquis." As She Fu sat down, she smiled slightly at Kang Dabao, showing a hint of warmth.

"I hadn't expected that Lord She would be so sensible, abandoning darkness for light without my persuasion." Fei Tianqin wasn't one to easily win people over, and his words of persuasion were rather bland, yet She Fu still respectfully replied:

"Shannan Dao has suffered under the Star-Picking Tower for too long. Which of our fellow Daoists does not yearn for the return of the Immortal Dynasty and the cleansing of the heavens? As the humble master of the Fearless Tower, I may be engaged in a business passed down from my ancestors that is not open to the public eye, but I dare not lose my patriotic heart and become an accomplice to evil and oppose the Immortal Dynasty."

Sect Leader Kang grinned, "So the Fearless Tower has directly offered their services? What about their previous invitation for me to find someone for the Two Elements Sect?"

Thinking of this, he gasped. If She Fu had also planned this encounter with Fei Tianqin, then her acting skills before were truly superb.

Fei Nanying grinned as he watched the fearless lord profess his loyalty. He could see perfectly well that She Fuyi's previous attempts to spread information between two sides were mostly motivated by a desire to profit from the chaos.

However, she probably didn't anticipate that Fei Tianqin would be such a formidable fighter, capable of overwhelming even someone like Xiang Tianxing. Therefore, she needs to reassess the advantages.

After weighing the pros and cons, she made a decisive move and came to join them immediately, which can be considered as finding a good place for the Fearless Tower.

Despite its prestigious reputation in Shannan Road, Wuwei Tower is nothing more than a Golden Core sect. Even if it has better access to information and its disciples are wealthier, it still can't compare to those local tyrants.

To be honest, his family probably doesn't even have a good burial site. Compared to that, they might not have had a better life than the Hongyi family, who were expelled from Dingzhou by the state government a few years ago.

Fei Nanying initially didn't value the so-called Fearless Tower, and even planned to calculate the cost of the Fearless Tower's profits with Fei Tianqin.

However, to his surprise, She Fuyi was extremely flexible and quickly presented many treasures accumulated by the previous owners of the building. Among them were many secrets of Shannan Road recorded since the previous dynasty, which Fei Tianqin found very valuable and immediately pardoned her.

As a result, Fei Nanying's entire plan came to naught.

However, he still understood the principle that eating one bell of the enemy is worth twenty bells of his own. In fact, even the three sects under the jurisdiction of Zhaixing Tower—Xianyu Family, Yunshui Sect, and Liangyi Sect—Yunjiao Prefecture had not completely given up the idea of ​​winning them over, let alone Wuwei Tower, which had little to do with Zhaixing Tower.

“Fellow Daoist She is too kind,” Fei Nanying chimed in. “You have made a great contribution this time. Is there anything you wish to ask for? Please speak freely.”

The beautiful woman's expression became even more respectful: "It was only my duty, how dare I take credit?"

Fei Nanying had clearly already chosen a place for the Wuwei Tower group. Hearing She Fuyi finish speaking, he laughed and said, "Fellow Daoist is indeed too modest. How about this? The Five Prefectures Demon-Suppressing Division was ordered to be established by the Earl before his departure. However, the prefectures were in dire need of reconstruction, so it was delayed, and only a framework was erected. Your arrival is just in time. A blank canvas is easy to paint on, and Fellow Daoist She and her disciples can certainly show off their skills."

"Does this mean all the spies from the Fearless Tower have joined the Demon Suppression Bureau and are living off the government?" Kang Dabao genuinely thought Fei Nanying's idea wasn't bad. Everyone has their own expertise, and She Fu had also joined to continue doing this old job, which was much better than Tie Liuyun's half-baked skills.

The beautiful woman's eyes lit up. These officials of high rank in the Immortal Dynasty were not as worthless as they were a few years ago. The Demon-Slaying Division was a very powerful and crucial force. Before she came, she never thought that she, a surrendered person, could hold such an important position: "This Fei Nanying is quite bold. He is indeed the person who is rumored to be the next head of the Fei family."

Before she could think further, the beautiful woman saw Fei Nanying looking at her again, so she bowed and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Marquis of Gucheng."

When Fei Nanying saw that She Fu had agreed, his expression became much calmer. He didn't even look at her two round, protruding breasts. He just gave her a few more instructions and then called over a clerk from the Sima family to lead the beautiful woman down into the hall.

Fei Tianqin hated these kinds of things the most. He patiently watched Fei Nanying and She Fuyi finish their performance before asking, "Kang boy, was there anything unexpected?"

She Fuyi's ability to assess the situation was something even Headmaster Kang couldn't match, which was quite unexpected. However, since this old bird was asking the question, it was not appropriate to answer directly: "It is all thanks to the divine power of the Ancestor that these stubborn people have come to understand the greater good and abandon darkness for light."

Fei Tianqin was in a good mood today, and even though Kang Dabao's set of flattering words was utterly careless, he didn't scold him, but instead chuckled softly:

"Hehe, whether this little girl comes or not is irrelevant. What Fearless Tower, what 'omniscient and fearless', it's all a joke. But I, the old ancestor, am quite curious, what exactly is that Taoist Peng hiding? What makes that junior Xiang Tianxing so nervous?"

Fei Nanying and Kang Dabao could not answer, but they saw the old bird suddenly step slowly out of the hall, turn around and call out: "Let's go, let's go to the prison and meet him."

————Xuanwei City Prison
Kang Changyi and his master Qi Buxiu entered the cell under the guidance of a bearded jailer and met Chu Yanran, who was guarding Peng Daoren with Yang Baoshan.

After just one day and night, the old cultivator in black robes suffered several flare-ups of his old wounds. However, for someone of his stature, the Yunjiao Prefecture government would spare no expense in using spirit stones to ensure the physicians treated him properly.

Kang Changyi glanced at him as he passed by, but with his current eyesight, he couldn't make out anything. If he had passed by him directly, he probably wouldn't have been able to tell that this seemingly ordinary old man in black robes was actually a wicked cultivator with a bloody past.

"This is no safe place. What are you doing bringing Changyi here?!" Chu Yanran glared at Qi Buxiu, and even that single glance was enough for Yang Baoshan to discern a myriad of emotions within her, causing him to mutter to himself:
"This Chu Yanran truly deserves to be called the most extraordinary woman in Shannan Dao. How could a dignified cultivator like her choose such a person as her husband, and yet treat him like a treasure?!"

Yang Baoshan felt a bit annoyed when he looked at Qi Buxiu's lewd face. It wasn't that he was out of his mind to compete with the latter for love, but he just couldn't stand seeing someone so lucky.

Qi Buxiu trembled at his wife's shout before saying, "I've heard this battle was fierce, and it seems even the Golden Elixir is at stake."

Qi Buxiu realized halfway through his sentence that he had almost blurted out the truth, so he quickly changed his words and said, "It is because Changyi is not clear about a few things in his cultivation. I was afraid of delaying him, so I brought him to see Madam."

Everyone smiled when they saw the concerned look on Qi Buxiu's face; they knew perfectly well what he was thinking.

Since acting had to be done properly, Kang Changyi was immediately pushed forward by Qi Buxiu. Helpless, he had no choice but to tell Chu Yanran the few passes he had memorized.

The beautiful woman apologized to Yang Baoshan, and the professor and his disciples did not shy away from the fact that the latter was of the same rank, and immediately answered her questions one by one.

Kang Changyi had a good talent for cultivation. After the headmaster Kang showed his talent and surpassed Fu Neng, Kang Changyi, as the eldest son of Kang Dabao, was taken in by Chu Yanran as her personal disciple.

With the support of his family's resources and his master's assistance, he made rapid progress in learning the "Nine Tribulations of Wind and Flame" technique, a low-grade cosmic-level cultivation method.

Therefore, according to Chu Yanran's calculations in her spare time, if the Great Master Kang's cultivation does not improve and he continues to stagnate at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, he will probably be overtaken by his own son in the future.

Although Kang Changyi was brought here by Qi Buxiu as a pretext, the questions he asked were quite insightful. Not only did Chu Yanran show her approval, but even Yang Baoshan, who was standing to the side, frequently glanced over, inwardly sighing:

"It's a pity he only reached the Green Leaf Dao Foundation stage. Otherwise, judging from what he said today, he would have been guaranteed at least a Pseudo Core stage future."

While praising him, Chu Yanran sighed like Yang Baoshan: "If my disciple were the legitimate heir, he would definitely receive help from his maternal family. Not to mention a fake elixir, even a golden elixir would be within his reach."

The three of them asked and answered questions, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Master Qi stood behind Chu Yanran, listening intently and watching with rapt attention even though he didn't understand a single word.

Just then, Peng Daoren in the cell also made a move.

As a top-tier Golden Core cultivator, his treatment far surpasses that of Fu Neng.

The pillar made of lightning-struck wood was covered with spiritual seals, which could injure even a Golden Core cultivator just by rubbing against it; three high-quality spirit-suppressing nails were precisely inserted into the spine of the prisoner, and the rotten flesh around them had already scabbed over; hanging from the roof beam was an octagonal bronze mirror that had been consecrated by a great master of the original Buddhist sect, which would occasionally shoot down a beam of light to shatter the prisoners' thoughts of escape.

Even so, Fei Tianqin was still uneasy. After all, even the slightest disturbance had made Yang and Chu Erxiu put away their relaxed expressions and look over.

The chanting of scriptures abruptly stopped. At that moment, Master Peng was leaning against the wall, slowly swallowing the pills that had been distributed to him, and his complexion improved slightly.

He looked rather pathetic, but he didn't evoke any sympathy from anyone in the room, though he never needed anyone's sympathy anyway. Peng Daoren spoke in a deep, hoarse voice: "When will Fei Tianqin come to see me? I have something to say to him."

Yang Baoshan's expression turned serious, and he asked in a deep voice, "What would you like to say, fellow Daoist?"

"What should I say?" Master Peng took another pill, feeling much better. After a moment's thought, he continued, "Please convey a message to Marquis Fengcheng: 'I too can be utterly loyal to the Celestial Dynasty, I can wholeheartedly plan for the Celestial Dynasty! I can serve the Celestial Dynasty with utmost loyalty!'"

"As long as... as long as you spare my life, I'll do anything!!"

(End of this chapter)