Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 424 Rumors
After taking the items into his possession, Song Xian inquired about the details.

Number One then truthfully recounted the conversation between the two inside the hall.

Upon learning that Hill, the leader of the Minotaur tribe, had repeatedly expressed his desire to meet the person who crafted the Yin Soul Pearl and even wanted to invite him to join the Minotaur tribe, Song Xian immediately understood that Hill valued the Yin Soul Pearl more than he had anticipated; otherwise, he wouldn't have considered inviting an unknown person to join.

It seems I asked for too low a price; I should be able to negotiate a better deal.

He was not angry at all; on the contrary, he was even happier.

He didn't care about gaining or losing a few ghost crystal cores; suffering a little loss was no big deal.

He was unfamiliar with the place and it was his first time doing business here, so it was inevitable that he would suffer losses. At least, this price was acceptable to him.

Hill's emphasis on this item convinced him that the Yin Soul Pearl had a bright future in this world, which was more important to him than anything else.

Song Xian entrusted the Soul Steel to Number One for safekeeping. The reason he asked Number One to exchange three more Yin Soul Pearls for the Soul Steel was actually because he had other plans.

Before coming here, he did not know that this place was a vast world, and thought that it was a limited space like the secret realm he had previously entered.

He originally thought that this was the only island inhabited by ghosts in this sea area, but he never expected that Haji Island was just the tip of the iceberg of this world, and that the continent of Kama was the true main place of this world.

There are the Eastern Wilderness, the Western Desert, the Southern Ridge, the Northern Plains, and the Central Plains.

They possess a race far more powerful than the ghosts of this island.

He was quite shocked when he first heard the news.

He had explored the secret realm several times before, such as when he went with Han Yuan to the location of the Golden Crow Flame, which was also done through the same strange stone wall.

The space there wasn't very large, and he only spent a few days exploring the entire secret realm.

But this place is larger than imagined; it doesn't feel like a secret realm, but rather like another world.

He had no doubt that there were Nascent Soul stage ghosts on the Kama Continent. After all, Haji Island was just the tip of the iceberg of this world, yet it possessed ghosts at the fourth level of Ghost General, equivalent to the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment.

The continent of Kama is many times larger than Haji Island, so it's perfectly normal for it to have Nascent Soul ghosts.

He originally only planned to exchange for ghost crystals on this island and then return to the South China Sea. However, after learning about the Kama Continent from the captured ghosts, he hesitated, wondering if he should go and explore the Kama Continent. Perhaps he would make new discoveries and meet new partners.

Haji Island is still too small. The highest cultivation level here is only the fourth level of Ghost General. Even if all the ghosts of the Quanrong and Niushou tribes are added together, there will not be more than thirty Ghost Generals.

This means that they have a limited number of ghost crystals. After all, there are only so many ghosts that have reached the level of Ghost General, so how many ghost crystal cores can they have?

Moreover, this ghost crystal is not a collectible, but a consumable. For ghosts, although the ghost crystal cannot directly improve their cultivation, it can provide assistance in battle.

Therefore, some of the ghost crystals will inevitably be consumed.

The attitude of Hill, the leader of the Minotaur tribe, clearly showed that he was very interested in the Yin Soul Pearl, but in the end he only offered five first-grade crystal cores and one second-grade crystal core in exchange.

Even if it retains some crystal cores for its own use, the quantity is certainly not large, and it certainly won't trade those crystal cores that it uses for its own purposes.

Unless Song Xian can bring something more important, such as something that can directly help it in its cultivation.

In other words, even if he brings more Yin Soul Pearls next time, he will not be able to exchange them for Ghost Crystals on Haji Island.

If you want to obtain more Ghost Cores, you must go to the continent of Kama, where there are more powerful Ghosts and more resources.

Therefore, after careful consideration, he decided to go to the continent of Kama to explore, which is why he wanted to exchange for three thousand Soul Steel.

When traveling to an unfamiliar place, it's always helpful to carry some money with you.

He originally planned to find a partner on this island, but now he has changed his mind. He will find a powerful force on the continent of Kama to cooperate with, so as to ensure the acquisition of the ghost crystal core.

Furthermore, he has even longer-term plans. If he finds a reliable partner, he not only doesn't intend to be involved in future transactions, but he might not even need to personally travel to the continent of Kama.

Once he has enough ghost crystal cores, more ghosts within the Blood Soul Banner will inevitably advance to the rank of Ghost General. At that time, he can send a Ghost General to stay here and be in charge of the affairs here.

He only needs to make a round trip; he won't have to worry about anything else. The Blood Soul Banner's traitor will handle all the complicated transactions for him.

Once the trade chain is established, he can obtain a continuous supply of ghost crystals.

.........

The sky is clear and the sun is shining brightly; in the western border city, near Luoyun Mountain.

In the spacious and bright hall, Xiao Ling slowly entered from outside. Inside, a slender man sat upright. Upon seeing her arrival, he immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Martial Aunt Xiao."

Xiao Ling glanced at him, but saw that his expression was unusual, as if he was indignant: "What happened?"

"I heard that the Personnel Hall has appointed Ma Ming as the head of Fanghua Valley. I wonder why, so I have come to hear my master's teachings." Huang Bujue lowered his head, his face not looking good. Although his words were polite, he could not hide his resentment.

He had been busy making arrangements for this position, and had taken care of all the necessary steps. After receiving Xiao Ling's promise, he thought he had everything under control. Everyone around him knew that he was about to be promoted to the head of Fanghua Valley. However, in the end, all his efforts came to nothing, which made him lose face. Therefore, he came to Xiao Ling in a wronged manner to ask for an explanation.

"Is that so?" Xiao Ling frowned slightly.

"Uncle-Master, don't you know?" Huang Bujue originally thought that Xiao Ling must have known about this matter long ago, but just didn't tell him. Hearing her words, he realized that she didn't know. He was even more surprised.

Since she was the one who handled this matter, regardless of whether it succeeded or not, the other party should at least have informed her. Unexpectedly, she was completely unaware of it.

Who told you this news?

"I went to the Personnel Department to inquire, and this morning they appointed Ma Ming." Huang Bujue glanced at her discreetly, but saw that her face was as cold as ice.

"Who is this Ma Ming?"

"I have inquired and heard that he is from the Teaching Peak of the Inner Affairs Hall."

"What's Jiao Wufeng's background?"

"This... this disciple truly does not know."

"I understand, you can go!" Xiao Ling's face was gloomy. After a moment of silence, she waved her hand.

"This disciple takes his leave." Seeing her like this, Huang Bujue dared not say anything more and got up to leave.

"Someone come here," Xiao Ling called out coldly.

"What are your orders, Uncle-Master?" The attendant disciple entered from the outer room and bowed. "Immediately find out about this Ma Ming's background and whose connections he has."

.........

As night fell, in the spacious, brightly lit main hall of Song Xian's residence, Su Zhirou was crafting a puppet. She had completed the final step, and a lifelike humanoid puppet was now fully presented before her.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

The stone door was pushed open, and Xiao Ling walked in with a displeased expression.

Su Zhirou turned around and saw that it was her, and a smile appeared on her face.

"Ling'er, what brings you here?"

"I'm so angry!" Without waiting for her to greet her, Xiao Ling sat down angrily.

"What's wrong? Why are you so angry?" Su Zhirou put the puppet aside and asked gently.

"That Jiang Zichen, he clearly promised me something, but he went back on his word in the blink of an eye."

“Junior Brother Jiang Zichen is such a good-natured person, even my husband says he’s a bit too easy to talk to. How could he possibly offend you?” Su Zhirou sat down next to her with a curious look on her face.

“Sister Zhirou, you know that Fanghua Valley has always been under our management. A few days ago, the former head was promoted, and the position became vacant. I recommended Huang Bujue to Jiang Zichen for the position, and Jiang Zichen clearly agreed. But today, in the blink of an eye, he appointed someone named Ma Ming instead. What's worse, he didn't even give me a heads-up. Tell me, isn't he deliberately trying to embarrass me?”

"No way! Junior Brother Jiang Zichen is very thorough in his work and is very good at dealing with people. Logically speaking, he wouldn't do something like this. Is there some misunderstanding?"

Xiao Ling snorted coldly: "Am I supposed to falsely accuse him? Sister Zhirou, you're just too kind to people. You don't know how treacherous people can be. Of course he's very respectful to you, but he wouldn't have any reservations about me."

"If he hadn't agreed, that would have been one thing, but he agreed and then went back on his word without even saying goodbye. It's so unfair! I thought everything was settled and I'd already made my decision, but then he pulled this stunt on me. How am I supposed to save face now?!"

“I know they’ve been gossiping about me! They’ve always been wary of me because I used to be a member of the Luoyun Sect. But I never expected them to do this behind my back.”

"I inquired about Ma Ming today. Do you know who he works for? He's the tutor of George Lam's son, Lam Sing-yu."

"They must have planned this behind my back, wanting me to embarrass myself in front of others and laugh at me."

By the end, her eyes were slightly red. Seeing her like this, Su Zhirou felt a little displeased: "It can't be that bad! Are you overthinking it? Here, I'll find Junior Brother Jiang Zichen later and ask him about the situation."

"Forget it! Sister Zhirou, there's already a lot of talk in the sect, saying that I'm bullying others by taking advantage of my master's power. If you stand up for me, who knows what they'll say about me."

Su Zhirou squeezed her arm: "I'll just ask him what happened. Don't worry, I guarantee no one in the sect will deliberately target you."

"Don't say it was me who suggested it, or someone will say I'm badmouthing you behind your back."

.........

Late at night, in the inner courtyard of the mansion, Jiang Zichen had just lay down on the bed fully clothed when a knock sounded at the door, followed by a man's voice.

"Uncle Jiang, Senior Brother Yang Shen, the sect leader's attendant, has arrived. He says he has important business to discuss with you."

Jiang Zichen sighed softly, got up, and put on his clothes.

Hua Yuan frowned and said, "What is he doing here so late?"

"Of course! It must be Senior Sister Su Zhirou who asked me to come over."

"Huh? Could it be because of that matter concerning the head of Fanghua Valley?"

"What else could it be besides this?"

Hua Yuan curled her lip, looking disdainful: "Xiao Ling actually went to the sect leader's wife for such a trivial matter. Who does she think she is! Does she think everything has to go her way? She's just a bully relying on her master's power. I think you should just ignore her from now on and let her make a scene by herself."

"Alright, that's enough. Don't say this outside."

“Hey! If Su Zhirou blames you for this, just push all the blame onto Lin Zixiang.”

Jiang Zichen glanced at her and shook his head helplessly: "You really want them to confront each other in court?"

"Isn't that what he said? Try to shift the blame onto him."

"Go to sleep!" Jiang Zichen ignored him and strode out of the room. After meeting Yang Shen, he went with him to Song Xian's residence.

In the spacious and bright hall, Jiang Zichen entered with a smile and bowed.

"Junior Brother Jiang, please sit down. I hope I didn't disturb you by coming so late!" Su Zhirou nodded to him.

"No. May I ask what instructions Senior Sister Su may give?"

"I heard that the position of head of Fanghua Valley was suddenly changed from Huang Bujue of the External Affairs Hall to Ma Ming of the Internal Affairs Hall. Is that true?" Su Zhirou didn't beat around the bush and asked directly.

"That's right. We originally planned to promote Huang Bujue, but after checking his file, we found that he had only been in the sect for a few years, was relatively inexperienced, and had no significant achievements. So we chose Ma Ming, who had more seniority, for the position."

"Let me be frank! Junior Brother Jiang, as you know, Ling'er is my sister. When I returned to Luoyun Sect, she took good care of me. If it weren't for her matchmaking, my husband and I wouldn't be where we are today. My husband often mentions her kindness. Now that she has joined our sect, she has no relatives or friends and no one to rely on. As her older sister, it's not too much for me to take care of her, is it?"

Jiang Zichen maintained his smile: "Of course, it's only natural. We all know and admire Senior Sister Su for her loyalty and righteousness."

"So I hope that you can help her out of consideration for me. As long as it's not something that seriously violates the sect's rules, please help her as much as you can, consider it as helping me."

"Don't worry, Senior Sister Su, I know what to do. Actually, we have also considered Huang Bujue's job assignment. The Foreign Affairs Hall's Trade and Economic Peak branch in Tianshan is short-staffed due to its busy schedule, so we plan to add a deputy director position, and Huang Bujue will take up the post in a few days."

"How you arrange personnel is your business; I won't ask or interfere. I just hope you won't treat Ling'er like an outsider. I've heard there are a lot of rumors about her within the sect, and you have to take care of that. After all, she's a Foundation Establishment cultivator in this sect. How can we allow disciples to make up gossip and attack her at will? Isn't that instigating internal strife and division? As the chief of the inner cabinet, you can't tolerate this kind of atmosphere."

"I see."

“I’m not biased towards Ling’er, but she has indeed done her best. Now that she has joined the sect, she shouldn’t be treated differently because of her original status. This is what my husband has always said about treating everyone equally.”

“Junior Sister Xiao Ling is decisive and efficient, which we have all witnessed, and we all acknowledge her abilities. Senior Sister Su need not worry, no one in our sect will treat her as an outsider.”

"Alright. I won't say any more. You can go back and rest now!"

"I'll take my leave now." Jiang Zichen got up and left.

(End of this chapter)