Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 468 A mixed bag of fish and dragons
Upon hearing this, the three men reacted differently. Yu Lian opened his mouth, but then hesitated to speak.

Shen Fan seemed lost in thought, his gaze slightly dimmed.

Jiang Zichen frowned even more, staring blankly at the sky above the main hall. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke, his voice drifting over.

"Sometimes, for the sake of the sect's overall interests, we need to be patient. It's unavoidable that some people are sacrificed."

"Senior Brother Lin, do you still remember the time when Senior Brother Zhong Yang was humiliated? He was beaten and humiliated by the disciples of the Jade Abyss Sect, but at that time we couldn't afford to offend the Jade Abyss Sect, so we could only endure it."

"If we hadn't been patient back then and had clashed head-on with the Jade Abyss Sect, would we be where we are today?"

“I remember when Senior Brother Zhong Wenyuan saw Senior Brother Zhong Yang’s injured state, he clenched his fists so tightly that his nails almost dug into his palms, but he told us not to act rashly and not to have a conflict with the Jade Abyss Sect.”

Lin Zixiang looked at him, his voice calm: "What if it wasn't Junior Brother Fan who was killed today, but Su Zhirou? Would he still be so indifferent? Would he still endure it?"

Jiang Zichen's throat bobbed slightly, and he remained silent.

"Forget it, let's not talk about these upsetting things. Senior Brother Lin, Junior Brother Jiang, let's have a drink!" Yu Lian smiled and picked up his glass.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside, and a disciple came to the outside of the hall: "Reporting to Uncle Yu, Uncle Jiang's attendant disciple, Senior Brother Huang, has arrived. He said that the sect leader has sent someone to summon Uncle Jiang."

"The sect leader summoned me; there must be something important. I'll go now." Jiang Zichen immediately stood up.

"I'll see Junior Brother Jiang off." Yu Lian also stood up.

"No need. You stay with Senior Brother Lin and Brother Fan. I'll go over there, and if there's nothing else, I'll come back." Jiang Zichen said, then left the hall and, after understanding the situation, went to Song Xian's residence.

"Sect Leader, what are your orders?" In the waiting room, Jiang Zichen had been waiting for a short while when Song Xian entered from outside. He stood up and bowed.

"What do you think about Junior Brother Fan's matter?" Song Xian waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down.

Jiang Zichen pondered for a moment: "Although there is no clear evidence at the moment, it is highly likely that it was Zhang Tianda of the Bright Moon Sect who did it, and this was definitely not authorized by the higher-ups of the Bright Moon Sect."

At this point, he recalled George Lam's words.

"However, if we sit idly by, it will surely discourage the sect's disciples. Our current priority is to capture Xu Xinyu. It would be best if we could capture her and obtain evidence. Even if we don't have conclusive evidence, we must inform the Bright Moon Sect about this matter and ask them to hand her over."

"Whether the Bright Moon Sect conducts an internal investigation and punishes Zhang Tianda is none of our concern. As long as we show our stance, we will have a basis for dealing with Zhang Tianda in the future."

Song Xian nodded, agreeing with his suggestion: "Tell the cabinet not to spread the news of Junior Brother Fan's murder within the sect. Also, launch a full-scale manhunt for Xu Xinyu, and send someone to inform the Bright Moon Sect about this, and see how they respond."

"Yes."

"Senior Brother Zixiang has a lot of opinions about this matter. Go and persuade him! But don't say that I sent you. We are now a large sect with thousands of disciples. We must prioritize the overall situation in everything we do."

"I see."

"Has Senior Brother Zixiang gone back to Luojia Mountain?"

Jiang Zichen hesitated slightly. He didn't want to reveal the truth about Lin Zixiang's situation at Yu Lian's residence, making it seem as if they were closely entangled and secretly discussing every little thing. However, he knew that this matter couldn't be kept secret. If he kept it hidden, it would be a sign of a guilty conscience, which would cause even more problems.

"No, he was having a banquet at Senior Brother Yu's residence."

"Oh!" Song Xian didn't say much or ask any further questions. Instead, he changed the subject: "Junior Brother Zichen, as the head of the inner cabinet, you need to maintain unity within the sect. Of course, I know it's not easy for you in this position, but I entrusted this important task to you because I believed you could get along well with all parties."

“The sect is not what it used to be. Eight or nine out of ten disciples were originally independent cultivators and other forces. If sectarianism still exists, the sect will inevitably fall apart. The worst thing is when internal conflicts escalate. Even a powerful sect like Qianqing Sect is now in a mess due to internal conflicts, let alone our sect.”

Jiang Zichen knew this was a warning, so he immediately replied seriously, "Don't worry, Sect Leader, I know what to do."

"Go ahead!"

Jiang Zichen then got up and left.

Watching his departing figure, Song Xian narrowed his eyes slightly. It seems that it is still necessary to let Xiao Ling serve in the cabinet!

.........

After leaving, Jiang Zichen did not continue the banquet at Yu Lian's place, but returned to his own residence.

When Hua Yuan saw his solemn expression upon his return, she thought something serious had happened and hurriedly went up to him to ask, "What's wrong? Why did the sect leader summon you?"

"It's nothing." Jiang Zichen shook his head, sat down to the side, pondered for a while, and then called over a disciple to invite Xiao Ling over.

"Why are you looking for Xiao Ling?" Hua Yuan couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Of course, it's about reconciling relations." Jiang Zichen sighed, looking somewhat tired.

"Did the sect leader call you here just for this? Why would he need her to mediate? Do you think she'll listen to you? She's backed by Su Zhirou. If the sect leader doesn't seek Su Zhirou's help, what's the point of calling you?" Hua Yuan said disdainfully. She had already learned about what happened during the meeting from Jiang Zichen. She was close to Lin Huairou and naturally disliked Xiao Ling.

"If persuasion alone were effective, they wouldn't have argued so badly during meetings."

"Then why did you bring her here?"

“Let her put pressure on the Bright Moon Sect. She is the head of the External Affairs Hall, and this is within her scope of duties. Wasn’t her argument with Senior Brother Lin about this? Now, let her stand up for Junior Brother Fan, and Senior Brother Lin will have an explanation.”

Hua Yuan snorted lightly: "I think your efforts are completely futile. Rome wasn't built in a day. Today's incident is just the fuse. Their discord is the result of accumulated problems. Even without this incident, something else would have happened. Even I can see that clearly, don't you?"

"Just put out the fuse and prevent it from exploding." Jiang Zichen looked at her seriously. "From now on, you should stop following Lin Huairou and gossiping about them, especially in public. Be careful what you say."

"I know," Hua Yuan replied casually. "I haven't really said much about it."

"Just don't get involved..."

The two chatted for a short while when a disciple came to report that Xiao Ling had arrived. Jiang Zichen then left the room and went to the waiting room.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries and sat down as host and guest.

"Junior Sister Xiao, the reason I've called you here today is to trouble you to negotiate with the Bright Moon Sect regarding Junior Brother Fan's murder."

Xiao Ling smiled, but then a thoughtful look appeared on her face: "Without any evidence, would it be of any use to go to the Bright Moon Sect?" "Whether it's useful or not is another matter. Junior Brother Fan is the Deputy Hall Master of the Personnel Hall of the sect. If a disciple of the Bright Moon Sect dares to ambush and harm us, the sect can't just ignore it no matter what. We have to take a stance. This is also what the sect leader wants."

"Okay, I see."

"Today in the council hall, Senior Brother Lin's words were a little harsh, please don't take it to heart. I still remember back in the days at Guzi Peak, Peng Yuan of the Jade Abyss Sect humiliated Senior Brother Zhong Yang because of Senior Sister Feng Yan. At that time, Senior Brother Lin wanted to settle accounts with the Jade Abyss Sect cultivators, and when Senior Brother Lu Yuan tried to dissuade him, he was publicly cursed and called a coward and a shrinking turtle."

"You know about this matter; you were the one who settled it back then. But you know very well his relationship with Senior Brother Lu Yuan. That's just his personality; it's not directed at you."

Xiao Ling's expression remained unchanged, still wearing a smile, seemingly unconcerned: "Even if Senior Brother Jiang didn't say it, I understand. It's normal for the two sides to have different opinions and disagreements during discussions. Even brothers and sisters quarrel sometimes! I'm not a petty person. Besides, he's a sect elder, and I'm a sect disciple. There's a difference in rank. What's wrong with an elder reprimanding a disciple a few times?"

Seeing her like this, Jiang Zichen naturally knew that she was just being perfunctory, but that was enough. As long as they could maintain a harmonious atmosphere, that would be fine. If a single sentence could completely resolve any misunderstandings between the two, then it would be more like a deity.

“I know that Junior Sister Xiao is the most sensible and considerate of the big picture. It’s all the better that you think this way. I will send someone to give you the case file of Senior Brother Fan after it has been organized. I’ll leave this matter to you.”

"Will Xu Xinyu continue the search?"

"Of course we'll search for her. We'll first make our stance clear to the Bright Moon Sect on this matter. Once Xu Xinyu is caught and we have new evidence, we'll submit it to them. We can't just ignore her until we catch her."

"What if the Bright Moon Sect completely ignores this?"

"It would be best to resolve this through negotiation; if not, then we'll talk about it later!"

"Alright, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave." Xiao Ling got up and left.

…………

As night fell, with a bright moon and few stars, outside the gate of the Bright Moon Sect in Humen City, a beam of light shot out, revealing the figure of a burly man.

“Uncle-Master Wu, this is Fellow Daoist Chen Xuan, the manager of the shops in the city’s market of the Hunyuan Sect,” a disciple introduced.

"Greetings, Senior Wu." The man dressed in the Hunyuan Sect's attire bowed and handed over a jade slip and a stack of documents: "These are items that my sect's Uncle Xiao Ling asked me to give to Senior Wu."

The burly man took the jade slip and the dossier, glanced at them, and his gaze sharpened. He snorted coldly, "What does this mean? Did the Hunyuan Sect send you to our sect to interrogate us?"

"Senior Wu, please don't misunderstand. Our sect has no such intention. We just want to inform your sect about this matter and hope that your sect can severely punish the evil disciple."

The burly man didn't even glance at him, and turned back to the mountain gate.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, please return!" A disciple of the Bright Moon Sect stood in front of him.

The man dressed in the Hunyuan Sect's attire said nothing more and flew away on his magical artifact.

The burly man returned to his residence, and after his consciousness entered the jade slip, he slowly frowned and pondered for a while. Then he ordered someone to summon Zhang Tianda.

Before long, a thin old man with triangular eyes, a gloomy face, and slightly graying temples entered the room and bowed to him: "Greetings, Uncle Wu. May I ask what your orders are?"

"I ask you, did you kill Fan Cheng, a disciple of the Hunyuan Sect?" The burly man stared at him coldly, his voice as icy as a knife.

Zhang Tianda felt a jolt in his heart, but tried his best to remain calm on the surface: "I don't understand, why does Uncle Wu say such a thing?"

"Take a look for yourself!" The burly man threw the file in front of him. Zhang Tianda took the file and glanced through it. Although he was getting more and more nervous, he still kept his face calm.

Because he had anticipated this, he was almost betting everything on this Foundation Establishment attempt, since he had already emptied his pockets during the last attempt and simply couldn't afford to buy Foundation Establishment Pills with spirit stones.

Based on his income from the sect, it would take him at least twenty or thirty years to earn enough Foundation Establishment Pills. He doesn't have that much time to waste.

As he was in charge of intelligence matters concerning Bianxi City, he learned that Fan Cheng of Hunyuan Sect had recently bought a Foundation Establishment Pill in the market of Bianxi City. Therefore, he set his sights on this person and used the spies that the sect had planted in Hunyuan Sect to lure Fan Cheng to Humen City for an ambush.

He had certainly considered the risk of things being exposed, but he couldn't afford to miss this opportunity. Otherwise, if he waited twenty or thirty years to save up enough for the Foundation Establishment Pills, he would be old and frail, and the success rate of Foundation Establishment would be even lower. Not to mention any accidents that might happen along the way, especially now that the situation was unstable, he needed to establish his foundation as soon as possible.

As the disciple in charge of intelligence, he also knew about the defeat of the Qianqing Sect in Nanhan County, which meant that Xishu County was likely to be attacked by rebels. This further strengthened his determination to establish his foundation as soon as possible.

After he successfully killed Fan Cheng, he had thought about this day coming, because the commotion was quite big and it was inevitable that some passing cultivators would witness it, especially since he had also commanded the silverback mantis to participate in the battle.

Moreover, Fan Cheng was no nobody; he was the deputy hall master of the Personnel Hall of the Hunyuan Sect. It was no surprise that the Hunyuan Sect would launch an investigation and pinpoint his location.

He had already mentally rehearsed this matter repeatedly. He knew that the sect would not hand him over to the Hunyuan Sect, but he was not sure whether they would deal with him privately.

The relationship between the sect and the Hunyuan Sect is not good. Last time, when attacking Yongning City, the Hunyuan Sect interfered, which made the sect's higher-ups deeply resent the Hunyuan Sect. This is one of the reasons for his confidence.

Secondly, he has a promising start in Foundation Establishment and is only one step away from the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, which is his second source of confidence.

Furthermore, although the clues were obvious, he wore a mask the whole time. As long as he denied it, without solid evidence, the sect should not punish him based on just one encounter with Hunyuan Sect. This was his third source of confidence.

To prevent the Hunyuan Sect from retaliating in secret, he applied to the sect for Foundation Establishment preparations after this incident, put aside worldly affairs, and devoted himself to cultivation, never leaving the sect again.

"What else do you have to say? Isn't that silverbacked mantis your spirit beast?"

“There are countless cultivators in the world who possess the Silver-backed Mantis spirit beast. Just because they saw a silver mantis fighting a black python, how can the Hunyuan Sect conclude that I killed Fan Cheng? Isn’t that absurd? Furthermore, this is only the Hunyuan Sect’s side of the story. Please, Uncle Wu, do not believe this baseless accusation.”

Zhang Tianda put down the file in his hand and responded calmly without blushing or panting.

The burly man snorted coldly: "What about Xu Xinyu? How do you explain that? Was he a spy you planted in the Hunyuan Sect? Now that he's disappeared, where did he go?"

"Xu Xinyu's disappearance has nothing to do with me." Zhang Xinda acted like a dead pig that wasn't afraid of boiling water, refusing to admit anything.

He had thought this through very clearly. No matter what, he absolutely could not admit it; once he did, things would be terrible.

Although the sect will not hand him over to the Hunyuan Sect for punishment, it will definitely hold him accountable. Putting aside everything else, just the fact that he used the sect's spies for his own selfish reasons, causing them to be exposed, will not be easily let off by the sect.

"This is a jade slip imprinted with the divine sense of Song Xian, the leader of the Hunyuan Sect. No one dares to hide this matter; it must be reported to the leader, who may then personally intervene. Junior Brother Zhang, have you thought it through? Do you intend to fight to the end? Tell me the truth now, and I will put in a good word for you; perhaps we can make an exception."

Zhang Xinda's eyes flickered, and he swallowed hard a few times: "Fan Cheng's matter has nothing to do with me."

(End of this chapter)