The Great Seminary

Chapter 403 Indeed Unknown
'The law of heaven and earth' is interdependent with mountains and rivers.

Hidden among the mountains are caves and grottoes, while a clear lake is the place where the mortal and immortal realms meet.

The lakeside to the due north is filled with pavilions and towers where all kinds of fine goods are sold.

A bluestone avenue lined with large, green-leaved sycamore trees connects the road to the Huasheng Mansion.

On the southern shore of the lake are the alchemy workshop, creation workshop, and dueling platform of the inner sect of the 'Three Lives Sword Northern Sect'.

It is also open to ordinary people on the first and fifteenth of each month.

At the foot of the mountain close to the south bank, on a slightly higher elevation, stands a magnificent pavilion called the "Welcoming Immortals Pavilion".

This is the reception area for guests of the inner sect of the 'Three Lives Sword Northern Sect'.

After Shen Shijing left with Master Songbai, Zhang Guilian and his group of 'Xia Que' were settled here.

Several hours passed in the blink of an eye, and lunch was served.

Regardless of how embarrassing it was for others to eat, Zhang Gui simply drank some iced fruit wine with considerable elegance before sitting on the railing of a pavilion rooftop.

Gazing at the vast, bustling cityscape of 'Huasheng Mansion' in the distance, I felt a surge of emotion.
"This is the true foundation of the major sects in the 'Cave Realm'."

One sect controls a region, one clan owns a country.

The 'Three Lives Sword Northern Sect' is said to be just a nouveau riche among the major sects.

Those ancient sects that did not decline but continued to thrive must have "ascended to the heavens"!
However, in the last ten thousand years, apart from 'Xia Que', it seems there haven't been any other major sects that have had smooth sailing. Tsk tsk tsk, none at all…”

"Brother Gui, you, you, this, this, this..."

A sudden exclamation came from behind, snapping Zhang Gui back to his senses.

Turning his head to look at Sun Chonghe, whose face showed signs of weariness and whose expression was one of utter astonishment, he was taken aback at first, then burst out laughing.

"Chonghe, what a coincidence! What brings you to Yingxian Pavilion?"

"I am an inner disciple of the Northern Sect of the Three Lives Sword, so of course I can move around within my own sect."

After a while, Sun Chonghe finally calmed down and opened his mouth to ask in return,

"That's what I should be asking you!"

"That's true," Zhang Gui said with a smile.
"That's right, a few days ago I saw that the price of Earth Demon raw materials on the 'Broken Abyss' market suddenly skyrocketed."

In this supposedly competitive world, the market has turned out like this. Let's not talk about who's profiting from the national crisis or hoarding goods; I'm just saying that I personally can't afford to buy them anymore.

But 'Da Gui Grocery' just put 'Transformation' on the shelves, and it's already sold out in less than two days. That's just too much.

So although I had initially planned to lay low and avoid the limelight, I impulsively changed my mind.

They ventured into the wilderness, circled around several times, and not only killed some of the older earth demons but also collected countless raw materials.

By sheer coincidence, they even assisted and saved several towns besieged by the demons.

Later, they encountered the delegation of Qi Zhenyao, the young ruler of Xia Que.

Yes, your former female teacher at Qingdou Academy, and now a junior official at Xiaque Tianting, Shen Jun Shijing, the "White Porcelain Immortal," happens to be in the delegation.

He was an old friend of mine, so he introduced me to Qi Zhenyao, the young master.

As a result, because of my chivalrous heart, supernatural powers, and the identity of the ancient barbarian king of Shishi Kingdom, the young lord was quite fond of me.

They also planned to recommend me to Qiyang Lianshangjun.

And so I followed Fairy Shijing to 'Dharma Heaven and Earth'.

She is currently waiting with your master, the Xuanwu Sword Master, to meet with Lord Qiyang Lian to discuss important matters.

I waited at the Yingxian Pavilion until they finished their business before paying my respects to the Lord.

Upon hearing this, Sun Chonghe's eyes widened even further.

"So you went out to hunt down the Earth Demons and happened to run into Mr. Shi Jing."

Through her introduction, he gained the favor of the noblewoman Xia Que.

"Is it really that strange that I'm here to pay my respects to Lord Qiyang Lian?" "Meeting Doctor Shen was a bit of a coincidence, but isn't everything else perfectly logical?"

Zhang Gui said with a hint of dissatisfaction:

"With my ancient divine power, unparalleled cultivation techniques, and lineage as a former king of an ancient kingdom, am I not worthy of Xia Que's favor?"

"That's not what I meant..." Sun Chonghe felt that Zhang Gui had misunderstood him, and stamped his foot and shook his head.

But for a moment I didn’t know where to begin.

Looking around at the group of fellow disciples surrounding her, she noticed that a few people seemed to be missing.

So I just said it bluntly.

"Huadie, Hongying... Senior Sister, Tengru, Pianpian... Junior Sisters, I have something important to discuss with a friend, so I'll take my leave for now."

Then she grabbed Zhang Gui's arm and hurriedly ran downstairs.

As he ran, he asked in a low voice, "Do you have a place to stay in Yingxian Pavilion?"

"Of course," Zhang Gui said, feigning surprise.

“I am a guest who came with Xia Que’s delegation. Even if I am a 'superior' official, I am still a 'high-ranking official'. Who would dare to treat me lightly?”

But what exactly are you doing, Okitsuraku…?

"Stop talking nonsense and hurry to your lodgings before we discuss anything else," Sun Chonghe said urgently, waving his hand.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Gui didn't say anything more, but instead grabbed Sun Chonghe and rushed out of the pavilion.

A moment later, the two found themselves in an elegantly furnished, brightly lit up room.

Sun Chonghe took out an array plate from his pocket, activated the array in the center of the room, let out a long sigh of relief, and blurted out, "Alright, according to the sect rules."

The guests at Yingxian Pavilion set up a magic array in their respective lodgings to separate the inside from the outside.

Apart from the sect leader, the supreme elder, and the welcoming elder who is in charge of all social interactions, no one is allowed to enter without permission; otherwise, it would be considered treason.

Now you're safe for the time being, no matter what.

"Unauthorized entry into a magic array can cause one to suffer from qi deviation. Although it sounds like a minor matter, it is true that it could lead to extremely serious consequences."

But to say it's "equivalent to treason" is an exaggeration.

"Is it an exaggeration? I can't see it, for example right now. Xia Que wants to kill the chicken to scare the monkey, but he can't decide who to choose as the 'chicken' for the time being."

At this moment, in the Immortal-Welcoming Pavilion of the 'Law of Heaven and Earth', an arrogant fool from the 'Three Lives Sword Northern Sect' broke the rules and destroyed the trashy magic array that Xia Que, a mere nobody, had set up in the guest quarters.

But somehow, that small fish just died...

And something similar has actually happened in the history of my sect.

However, our role is similar to 'Xia Que', waiting for an opportunity to wipe out everyone else's entire family.

But he took the lesson as his own and remembered it.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Gui was speechless for a moment, then spoke with a strange expression:

"I see.

Your 'Three Lives Sword Sect' is truly upright and honest, and you also know how to 'reflect on your own actions'.

I admire you, I admire you.

"Stop being sarcastic and get to the point. I'm asking you, have you actually seen Qiao Heshen, Zhen Xiaotian, and Huang Miguan?"

Having prepared himself to lie, Zhang Gui was genuinely surprised when he heard this and uttered a single word, "Who?"

"Qiao Heshen, a true disciple and steward of the Northern Sect of the Three Holy Swords, and Zhen Xiaotian and Huang Miguan, inner sect protectors and stewards?"

"What kind of nonsense is this? I really don't know!"

(End of this chapter)