Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 341 The Journey to Find Relatives
Inside the main hall of the Sishui Chamber of Commerce, Venerable Chun Yuan sat at the head of the table, with True Man Yu Xiao at the foot, accompanied by two vice presidents and a group of elders.

Every word spoken by the Master is sure to attract a rush of praise.

The hall was filled with laughter and joy.

Jia Yuanqing was the only one who was deliberately treated coldly by Master Yuxiao, who did not even introduce him to Master Chunyuan.

He could only stand by awkwardly with a forced smile, without a chance to speak.

In a short while, the several chamber of commerce elders he had painstakingly cultivated and won over all clearly sided with President Yuxiao once again.

The chief of the Nine Cauldrons Chamber of Commerce, a third-tier advanced alchemist—either of these identities is enough to bring glory to the Sishui Chamber of Commerce.

More importantly, when the Jade Flute Immortal lineage was lying low in the Heavenly Azure Domain, they were under the care of the Pure Origin Venerable's contemporary Myriad Laws True Monarch.

Therefore, in everyone's eyes, the friendship between Master Yuxiao and Master Chunyuan must be very deep and close.

This greatly enhanced President Yuxiao's prestige within the Chamber of Commerce, thanks to the personal visit of Master Chunyuan.

However, what the public did not know was that the relationship between Master Yuxiao and Master Chunyuan was not as harmonious and close as it appeared on the surface.

Back when the Sishui Chamber of Commerce was still in the hands of Yuan Shunyi, the grandfather of Jade Flute Immortal, Chun Yuan had just formed his core, while Jade Flute was merely a junior in the early stages of Foundation Establishment.

Because of his uncle, the True Lord Wanfa, Chun Yuan was full of vigor and became even more unscrupulous after just forming his core.

He happened to see Yu Xiao, who was in the prime of her youth and beautiful, and then summoned her to his bedchamber.

Fortunately, Yuan Shunyi produced the token of the Myriad Laws True Lord, thus preventing the tragedy of Chun Yuan forcibly taking it by virtue of his cultivation and status.

However, although he could not forcibly obtain the token from his uncle, it greatly amplified Chun Yuan's nature, and he even wanted to take control of the Sishui Chamber of Commerce. So he openly and legitimately asked for it.

The fact that a true immortal disciple of the Wanfa Palace, a Pure Origin True Person who had formed the upper-level True Core, was willing to marry a Foundation Establishment cultivator as a Daoist partner attracted a lot of attention in Tianyuan Prefecture at the time.

As a result, the previously unknown Jade Flute Fairy became famous throughout the state.

Furthermore, it was thanks to the blessing of the Pure Yuan Immortal that she earned the reputation of being the number one fairy in Tianyuan Prefecture.

However, just when the world thought that Fairy Yuxiao would be overjoyed and couldn't wait to rush into the arms of True Man Chunyuan.

Influenced by the ideology of the Myriad Merchants Domain since childhood, and determined to restore the glory of her ancestors, the Jade Flute Fairy vowed to bring the Sishui Chamber of Commerce back to the Myriad Merchants Domain. Unlike the ordinary female cultivators in the Heavenly Cang Domain, she was overjoyed. Instead, after careful consideration, she reported her intentions directly to the Myriad Laws True Lord.

The True Lord of Ten Thousand Laws ordered his grandson, the True Man Chun Yuan, to return to the Ten Thousand Laws Palace and to cease harassing the Sishui Chamber of Commerce.

This incident made Chun Yuan Zhenren a laughing stock among the cultivators of Tianyuan Prefecture for a long time.

The Jade Flute Fairy was even hailed as the woman whom the Pure Yuan Immortal could not obtain!

The rumors only completely disappeared after Chun Yuan Zhenren advanced to the late stage of Core Formation and became the king of alchemy, becoming second only to the leader of the Wanfa Palace.

However, this grudge has always been a thorn in my side.

Master Chun Yuan will never forget.

Master Yuxiao also knew that he would not let this go easily.

Fortunately, the other party would never want outsiders to know about such a disgraceful matter. In addition, they are now in the Wanshang Domain, both of them are allies of the Merchant Alliance, and their identities are also extraordinary. If the other party wants to take revenge, they will first need a respectable reason.

Master Yuxiao appeared to be chatting and laughing, acting very friendly, but in reality, he was afraid of giving Master Yuxiao any ammunition and was walking on thin ice.

Just now, when Master Chun Yuan spoke, seemingly unintentionally mentioning "Huang Jie" who had escaped from the Tiancang Domain, Master Yu Xiao immediately thought of the situation Old Yuan described when he encountered Wu Weixiong on the spirit ship back then.

Therefore, in order to avoid Master Chun Yuan requesting a private meeting, Master Yu Xiao summoned Huang Jie to an audience in a commanding tone before he could even speak.

In public, there will be far less risk.

Moreover, with this provision in place, if Huang Jie were to get into any trouble, even Master Chun Yuan would be implicated.

Although Huang Jie's cultivation level was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, he was a first-class guest elder of the Sishui Chamber of Commerce, belonging to a special group within the Chamber of Commerce.

The feud between Master Chun Yuan and the Jueying Sect was known to all at the auction three months ago.

The fact that Huang Jie was treated with respect by Wu Weixiong back then is not a secret.

Their visit may well be motivated by a desire to launch an attack.

Although Master Yuxiao looked down on Huang Jie and harbored resentment towards his appearance, and would never entrust him with important responsibilities, she still had the affection of being his "master" and, in order to take care of Guo Wanzhi's feelings, she had to at least ensure her safety.

Therefore, Huang Jie was given deliberate guidance in terms of wording and attitude during the communication.

Before long, Li Ji'an arrived at the main hall and saw Master Chun Yuan again.

Master Yuxiao formally introduced Master Chun Yuan to Li Ji'an beforehand, and then emphasized Li Ji'an's current status as a first-class guest elder of the Chamber of Commerce.

He also publicly revealed the incident of encountering Wu Weixiong on the cross-domain spirit ship years ago.

"Elder Huang, the arrival of the Pill King himself is an honor to our Sishui Chamber of Commerce. What is even more remarkable is that the Pill King specifically mentioned you. You must tell him the truth about what happened between you and Master Wu on the spirit ship back then, so as not to miss the opportunity to meet the Pill King."

"I am deeply honored by the appointment of Senior Dan Wang." Li Ji'an sensed the strangeness of Jade Flute Master and, combined with the words of his message, felt a slight unease. It was clear that he was being protected.

However, he was unaware of the details of the relationship between Master Yuxiao and the old thief Chun Yuan, and for the time being, he was unable to fully understand Master Yuxiao's inner thoughts.

Master Chun Yuan maintained a kind and benevolent demeanor, but inwardly he was already somewhat irritated by Master Yu Xiao's preemptive move.

"It's alright. I just happened to be passing by today. I heard that you were once a cultivator in the Tiancang Domain. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. There's no need to be nervous."

"Please enlighten me, Senior Dan Wang. I will answer all your questions without reservation." Li Ji'an bowed sincerely.

“Young friend, you should know about my relative Yu’er. He was unfortunately harmed by that scoundrel surnamed Wu, and he also lost my ancestors’ possessions. Whenever I think of this, I feel ashamed to face my ancestors.”

"I witnessed the entire incident involving Fellow Daoist Sima. I offer my condolences, Senior Pill King," Li Ji'an said frankly.

"Did you see if Yu'er's black umbrella was taken by the thief surnamed Wu?" Master Chun Yuan asked again.

Li Ji'an nodded without hesitation: "All of Fellow Daoist Sima's spiritual resources have been taken away by True Man Wu."

"Are you sure?" Master Chun Yuan's eyes suddenly rippled like water.

The next moment, Li Ji'an sensed something in his mind.

However, with his mastery of the soul cultivation technique that allowed him to control the outer layer of his consciousness, he easily and silently eliminated the invading soul of Master Chun Yuan.

"Junior is sure!"

Of course, even if he ignored it, he would still give the same answer, since that was the fact he witnessed that day.

Moreover, when Master Chun Yuan inquired with the other witnesses on the spirit ship at the time, he received the same result.

As expected, Master Chun Yuan was not surprised to receive Li Ji'an's reply, but he was still slightly disappointed.

"Does young friend Huang know a Foundation Establishment cultivator named Liu Qingyun?" Pure Yuan True Person then asked.

"Liu Qingyun?" Not only was Li Ji'an taken aback, but everyone else present was also quite surprised.

"Reporting to Senior Pill King, Fellow Daoist Liu is a prodigy in this year's Flying Goose Dao Discussion, which I am naturally aware of. However, I have never had the opportunity to meet him," Li Ji'an replied quickly.

However, he was filled with doubts.

I never expected that Master Chun Yuan would be able to connect Liu Qingyun with him.

I never expected that they would pay attention to Lau Ching-wan.

"Really?" Master Chun Yuan smiled knowingly, his thoughts remaining unreadable.

“It’s true!” Li Ji’an said with certainty once again.

However, before he could finish speaking, Jia Yuanqing, who had been sitting on the sidelines for a long time without having a chance to speak with Master Chunyuan, suddenly spoke up.

"Elder Huang, you must not deceive Senior Pill King, you must tell the truth."

"Oh? Does this young friend perhaps know something?" Master Chun Yuan looked at Jia Yuanqing instantly.

Having finally gained the attention of Master Chun Yuan, Jia Yuanqing was immediately invigorated and hurriedly replied, "Reporting to Senior Dan Wang, I am Jia Yuanqing, Vice President of the Sishui Chamber of Commerce. I happen to know something about Liu Qingyun. My Chamber of Commerce and the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce have naturally invested a lot in the Flying Goose Dao Discussion in order to divide market share."

And Liu Qingyun is the one who was suddenly invited by the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce last year.

And as it turns out, it did indeed become a dark horse for the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce, causing our Sishui Chamber of Commerce to suffer heavy losses.

Prior to this, we specifically asked Elder Huang to make contact, hoping to recruit him or learn more about his background..."

"Oh." Venerable Chun Yuan nodded slightly, without revealing any particular attitude.

The reason he sought out Huang Jie this time was not because of his affair with Wu Weixiong on the spirit ship.

After all, he had already learned the details of what happened on the spirit ship back then through various channels.

I'm not particularly interested in it.

His only goal now is to find the Black Light Umbrella where his uncle stored his nascent soul as soon as possible.

And we should nourish his nascent soul as soon as possible to restore him to his peak condition.

Then find a suitable body for him to possess.

Only in this way can the Sima family have any hope of rising again.

Three months ago, he had a chance encounter with the leader of the Shadowless Cult at an auction. After confirming that the Black Light Umbrella was in the Shadowless Cult, he had already begun to focus on how to redeem the Black Light Umbrella from the leader of the Shadowless Cult.

Unexpectedly, a clue resembling the Black Light Umbrella was found in a bounty post.

After three months of searching, they finally found Wu Yehua of the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce.

The result was also broken there.

It was as if Lau Ching-wan had appeared out of thin air and then disappeared just as suddenly.

However, by using the Divine Soul Inquiry Technique on Wu Yehua, it was discovered that Wu Yehua actually suspected that Liu Qingyun might be Wu Weixiong.

A fake True Immortal, with earth-elemental magic.

A late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator at the peak, possessing wood-type magic.

The only thing they had in common was that both of them possessed formidable physical cultivation abilities.

Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to equate the two. However, the Dao artifacts in this world are extraordinary, especially those in the Wanshang Domain. He could not guarantee that there might be a Dao artifact that could conceal the people of the Merchant Alliance.

After all, the little thief who devoured his third-tier spiritual flame back then had tricked him by impersonating Fu Xiaochen.

Moreover, this is the only hope besides redeeming it from the Shadowless Cult Leader.

Therefore, he decided to play a couple of rounds, whether he had a chance or not.

If Liu Qingyun is indeed Wu Weixiong in disguise, then it means that the Black Light Umbrella is in his possession.

If the Black Light Umbrella is indeed in Wu Weixiong's hands, then there is a possibility of him killing someone to steal it.

He admitted that he was no match for the leader of the Shadowless Sect, but he could easily manipulate Wu Weixiong.

However, catching Wu Weixiong alone would not be easy for him, and he was even more worried that the leader of the Shadowless Sect would use Wu Weixiong as bait to lure him in.

Therefore, he thought of Huang Jie, the only person in the Wanshang Domain who had a close relationship with Wu Weixiong.

They wanted to test the waters and see if there was any possibility of using Huang Jie to lure Wu Weixiong out.

However, at this moment, this secret has been discovered again.

Huang Jie even tried to contact Lau Ching-wan.

This further fueled his suspicion that Lau Ching-wan was Wu Wai-hung.

"Your association is full of talented people, so why did you choose to send young friend Huang to contact Liu Qingyun?" Master Chun Yuan suppressed his inner turmoil and asked again to probe.

Ignoring the already gloomy face of President Yuxiao, Jia Yuanqing immediately said truthfully, "Because President Yuxiao guessed that Liu Qingyun might be Elder Huang's fellow disciple."

"Hmm?" Master Chun Yuan looked at Li Ji'an with surprise and doubt.

This is where things are getting more and more interesting.

"Senior Dan Wang, you are wise. Although I was indeed entrusted by the president, but..." Li Ji'an remained calm and composed, glancing at Jade Flute Master halfway through his sentence.

"To be honest, I have failed the trust of the guild master. I have been in Golden Radiance Immortal City for nearly a year and have never met Liu Qingyun."

"Never met you? What were you doing in Golden Radiance Immortal City?" Jia Yuanqing questioned.

Li Ji'an was slightly embarrassed: "I rented a place to practice my cultivation!"

Master Yuxiao looked at Li Ji'an in disbelief. He had suspected that Li Ji'an had not put in any effort, but now it seemed that he had not only not put in any effort, but had completely taken advantage of the 10,000 spirit stones she had given him.

Unconsciously, she became even more disappointed in Li Ji'an.

A ripple appeared in Master Chun Yuan's eyes, and he asked again, "Why didn't you follow the instructions of Master Yu Xiao, young friend?"

Li Ji'an smiled awkwardly: "I am ashamed. My cultivation is shallow and my strength is weak. To contact the immortal seedlings of the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce is tantamount to touching the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce's sore spot. I am worried that I will get burned."

The words had barely left his mouth when they were met with several suppressed laughs.

Master Hanyu was utterly speechless.

He turned his head away immediately, clearly not wanting to see Huang Jie again.

After pondering for a moment, Chun Yuan Zhenren was unable to sense any flaws in Li Ji'an.

The tone shifted: "By the way, who is your master, young friend Huang? I've heard that your master is an expert in both talismans and alchemy, and must be an extraordinary person. I'm quite curious about him."

Ever since learning about what happened on the spirit ship back then, Master Chun Yuan has been full of suspicion towards Huang Jie's master.

According to rumors, not only is his talisman-making skill at the third-tier high-quality level, but his alchemy skill is also quite remarkable.

This is almost non-existent in his mind.

As the Pill King of the Heavenly Azure Domain, he knew all too well how difficult it was to master a skill. How could an ordinary True Person have the energy to master another skill?
Moreover, the person was able to refine their talisman skills to the third-tier high-quality level, which most likely indicates they possess wood-type magic power, while alchemy requires fire-type magic power.

He even suspected at first that the other party might be the little thief who possessed the fire-type holy spirit and had devoured his third-tier spiritual flame.

However, the thief clearly possessed fire-based magic, which did not match the level of a third-tier high-quality talisman master.

Moreover, it is impossible for a mere Pseudo-Core or Early-Stage True Core cultivator to be proficient in two advanced skills at the same time.

Therefore, he didn't believe it in the first place.

It wasn't until he became the chief alchemist of the Jiuding Chamber of Commerce that he learned about Guo Wanzhi's search for him a few years ago, which involved a plaque bearing the identity of an alchemist issued by the Jiuding Chamber of Commerce in Cangyun Prefecture.

It was ultimately determined that the rumor of one person being proficient in two advanced skills was a complete fabrication!

Although it is indeed a guest alchemist identity card of the Nine Cauldrons Chamber of Commerce, it is only a first-level alchemist, not a high-level one.

This also confirms that Guo Wanzhi and Huang Jie were merely deceiving everyone on the spirit ship; their masters were not the same person at all.

He still had some recollection of Guo Wanzhi's master, the junior alchemist of the Biyun Sect.

"Please forgive me, Senior Pill King, my master has never revealed his name."

"Oh? I didn't expect that there really is such a powerful figure hiding his identity in my Tiancang Domain." Venerable Chunyuan smiled faintly, not digging any deeper.

The speculation that Huang Jie and Liu Qingyun were from the same sect was merely Yu Xiao Zhenren's deduction because both of them came from the Tiancang Domain, and both were not well-known in the Tiancang Domain, while Liu Qingyun was quite powerful.

Master Chun Yuan was more inclined to believe that Liu Qingyun was actually Wu Weixiong in disguise.

Therefore, he once again put his mission back on track, intending to use Huang Jie as bait to lure Wu Weixiong out.

(End of this chapter)