Chapter 140: A Letter from an Old Acquaintance

Unlike what Hong Jian and Lu Yanchang had initially imagined, the two of them entered the Xianyun Sect quite smoothly, thanks to Jiang Yan.

The Xianyun Sect was located on a very high mountain. The disciple guarding the mountain gate was at the completion stage of Foundation Establishment and appeared much older than Jiang Yan; Jiang Yan addressed him as Senior Brother Song. This Senior Brother Song was completely devoid of airs. He glanced at the two guests quite casually and asked Jiang Yan, "Are these your friends?"

Jiang Yan responded with a grin, and the man let them pass.

Hong Jian was secretly amazed. Even Lu Yanchang, who considered himself well-traveled and knowledgeable, was surprised. He whispered to Jiang Yan, "Is he being so accommodating because of you?"

"Not at all," Jiang Yan replied. "Of all the major sects, our Xianyun Sect has the fewest members. Relatively speaking, we are all very familiar with one another. The gate guards are just a formality; people have always come and gone as they pleased."

Lu Yanchang’s mouth hung open. "It’s a miracle your sect hasn’t fallen into chaos by now."

Jiang Yan looked quite proud. "Haha, what kind of chaos could there be? The last time something went wrong was when Junior Brother Shi and I stole some martial arts techniques from the Script Pavilion. After that, our Sect Master was so angry he moved into the Script Pavilion himself to live. As for the Immortal Garden on the back mountain, Uncle Master Guan watches over it personally. He is obsessed with those flowers and plants; when he’s happy, he won’t step out of the garden for weeks or even months at a time."

So, it turned out that the critical areas were guarded personally by the sect’s elders!

Even without Jiang Yan saying it, Hong Jian felt that this Xianyun Sect was vastly different from the old Dan'ya Sect. First, the place was small. The mountain where the Xianyun Sect stood was only as large as two of the five peaks of Dan'ya. Excluding the Immortal Garden on the back mountain, the areas on the front mountain—the Script Pavilion, the Alchemy Rooms, and the martial arts arenas—would not be spacious even with the few people the sect had. It seemed Jiang Yan’s earlier remark about asking them to "make do" with their accommodations was not just being polite.

Another difference was that the Xianyun Sect did not prioritize spiritual roots when accepting disciples. Jiang Yan’s master, Zhu Xian, possessed a Wood spiritual root, yet under his tutelage, there were not only disciples with Gold spiritual roots like Jiang Yan, but also those with Fire and Earth roots. Consequently, the Xianyun Sect would never suffer from the rigid factionalism between cultivators of different roots as seen in the Dan'ya Sect. However, the downside was also obvious: the number of Golden Core cultivators in the Xianyun Sect was lower than in other sects.

Jiang Yan’s small courtyard was situated on the sunny side, near the residences of Shang Chun, Lu Kaiyuan, and others. It was clear that the fellow disciples were very close. No sooner had Hong Jian and Lu Yanchang settled into Jiang Yan’s place than those two arrived, having heard the news.

Lu Kaiyuan winked and seized an opportunity to whisper to Jiang Yan, "You really brought them back. Be careful, or Duan Qiurong’s mother will find out and come looking for trouble."

Jiang Yan asked with a puzzled expression, "What does this have to do with Duan Qiurong?"

Seeing Jiang Yan playing dumb, Lu Kaiyuan and Shang Chun both gave a lewd, knowing laugh. Lu Yanchang leaned in and asked, "Which Duan Qiurong?"

Lu Kaiyuan and Shang Chun’s expressions changed instantly. Shang Chun, thinking he and Lu Kaiyuan had caused Jiang Yan immense trouble, hurriedly forced a laugh and said, "Nothing, nothing at all. We were just talking nonsense, joking with our Senior Brother." With that, he winked at Jiang Yan and quickly dragged Lu Kaiyuan away.

Jiang Yan watched their retreating figures and scratched his head in confusion. Lu Yanchang pursued him, asking, "Who else is coming from Xianxia Cave?"

Jiang Yan replied, "No one else. Just that Golden Core mid-stage tigress, Madam Duan, with her precious daughter. They are staying at the summit. Just be careful not to provoke them. I heard there was a major incident at Xianxia Cave a while ago—not only did they lose a treasure, but someone was killed as well. It hasn't settled down even now. I suspect no one else has the mood to come to our Xianyun Sect to join in the excitement."

Lu Yanchang understood. "Madam Duan, I know her," he said. And he knew her all too well; back when he was at Xianxia Cave, that tigress had eyed him like a thief, terrified that his glib tongue would deceive Duan Qiurong. In truth, that little girl Duan Qiurong looked like a stick—nothing to write home about.

Remembering he hadn't fully briefed Jiang Yan, he hurried to say, "Fang and I are posing as siblings." He looked around and, seeing a row of wooden fences nearby, added, "We both use the surname Chai. Don’t let it slip."

Jiang Yan agreed. Hong Jian was about to ask about the situation in other sects when someone shouted from outside, "Senior Brother Jiang! Didn't you say to let you know when the people from the Dan'ya Sect arrived? They're here!"

Had the Dan'ya Sect really sent someone? Hong Jian’s expression flickered. "Did you ask who it is?"

Jiang Yan asked the man, "Junior Brother Qi, do you know who it is?"

The man didn't enter the room but stood outside the courtyard and replied, "I heard it’s a Golden Core cultivator surnamed Fei."

Fei Chengji! Hong Jian’s heart went cold. She said to Jiang Yan, "Go and take a look, but be careful. This Fei is a trusted subordinate of Mu Fengshan; he might have already defected to Dai Mingchi."

Jiang Yan understood her meaning and nodded. "I’ll just ask him about Junior Brother Shi." Jiang Yan thanked the reporting disciple and hurried off.

Lu Yanchang, feeling uneasy, said he would go out for a quiet look around and told Hong Jian to wait for him. Hong Jian sat alone in this strange place, recalling the face of that man surnamed Fei when he used his petty authority to interrogate Senior Brother Ding Chunxue.

When she was very young, she had fantasized about a master with a Wood spiritual root taking a liking to Fang Zheng and taking him under their wing to teach him properly. Later, she felt fortunate countless times that Fang Zheng had delayed his breakthrough from the sixth to the seventh level of Qi Refining, as it prevented him from becoming more deeply entangled with the Dan'ya Sect.

Fang Zheng... where had he gone all these years? Was he still alive?

Before long, Jiang Yan returned. He looked excited yet somewhat solemn. Upon entering and not seeing Lu Yanchang, he asked, "Oh? Where did Brother Chai go?"

Hong Jian replied, "He said he was bored and went for a stroll. He shouldn't have gone far."

Jiang Yan smiled. "Brother Chai strikes me as an old hand with plenty of experience. He’s likely just uneasy."

Hong Jian felt a bit embarrassed by his comment. Seeing Jiang Yan’s demeanor, Shi Qingxiang’s condition must not be too dire. She couldn't help but urge him, "Tell me, what did that man surnamed Fei say?"

Jiang Yan didn't answer immediately but kept her in suspense. "I only found out when I got there—that man brought an apprentice along, and he’s an acquaintance. Guess who it is?"

Thinking of Jiang Yan’s acquaintances at the Dan'ya Sect, Hong Jian guessed, "Zhang Yu."

Jiang Yan nodded. "Correct. It’s that kid. I haven't seen him in years, and he’s already reached the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. They say you can tell a person's character by their childhood; I clearly had a reason for disliking him back then. Following that man surnamed Fei, he has become incredibly snobbish. I was afraid he might remember our past grievances, but to my surprise, he was very polite to me. Without me even asking, he took the initiative to tell me about Junior Brother Shi. He kept calling him 'Mr. Shi'—ah, the sycophancy was so thick it gave me goosebumps."

"So, is Shi Qingxiang doing well at the Dan'ya Sect?"

"Zhang Yu said Dai Mingchi values Junior Brother Shi highly. Mu Fengshan specifically cleared out a separate cave dwelling on Chidun Peak for him to recuperate. I asked Zhang Yu what kind of illness Junior Brother Shi has, but he couldn't explain it clearly. He only knew that since arriving at the Dan'ya Sect, only Mu Fengshan and Ying Qi, the Peak Master of Suihan Peak, had seen him, and Ying Qi had personally refined medicinal pills for him. Mu Fengshan forbade anyone from discussing his illness or disturbing him. Later, following Junior Brother Shi’s instructions, the cave dwelling was sealed off with a restriction."

Hong Jian was secretly shocked: Shi Qingxiang’s illness was so severe that even Ying Qi, at the Nascent Soul stage, was helpless? And those in the know were so tight-lipped—was he so ill that he could no longer move or see anyone?

She asked Jiang Yan, "Then what are you so happy about?"

Jiang Yan let out an "Oh." "You noticed? Junior Brother Shi hasn't forgotten me after all these years. Knowing that people from the Dan'ya Sect were coming here, he specifically wrote a letter and entrusted it to Zhang Yu. Otherwise, Zhang Yu wouldn't have volunteered so much information."

He sat down, took out a jade slip, and said to Hong Jian, "I haven't had a chance to read the letter yet. I just felt that if he could still manage these things, it shouldn't be as serious as I originally thought."

Hong Jian urged, "Then hurry and read it."

Shi Qingxiang’s letter must have been quite long, as Jiang Yan held the slip to his forehead and probed it with his spiritual sense for a long time. When he finally lowered the jade slip, his expression was neither surprise nor worry, but rather a look of bewilderment.

He looked toward Hong Jian and said uncertainly, "What does Junior Brother Shi mean by this? He spent a long time talking about the trivialities of his time at the Xianyun Sect, then mentioned a bet we made where he lost. He said he recently heard news regarding the younger brother of the person he made the bet with, saying the person is perfectly fine and safe, and that if I have the chance, I should tell that person not to worry. Hey, tell me, we only ever lost one bet—the time he voluntarily admitted defeat and played the mute."

Hong Jian’s mouth fell open. Was Shi Qingxiang talking about her younger brother, Fang Zheng?

He had written a letter from so far away, entrusting Jiang Yan to tell her that Fang Zheng was fine, so she wouldn't worry. But how did Shi Qingxiang know she would come to the Xianyun Sect? And having just returned from the Demon Realm, and being so ill, how could he have possibly seen Fang Zheng?

But if that wasn't it, Jiang Yan was staring right at her—what other explanation could there be?

Though Hong Jian found it hard to believe, regardless of the truth, Shi Qingxiang’s letter allowed her to let out a long, relieved breath.

However, it wasn't over yet. Jiang Yan continued, "It’s so strange. How could he know you were here with me? He also entrusted me to find a way to get you into the Xianyun Sect’s secret realm! Good heavens, he’s really setting a difficult task for me. Our sect’s secret realm will open in just seven or eight days, and the participants have long been finalized. Who am I supposed to displace at this point? I can’t tell your cultivation level—are you at the Foundation Establishment stage?"

Hong Jian asked in a daze, "I am. But are you sure he was talking about me?"

Jiang Yan grimaced. "He didn't mention your name. It seems he was afraid the messenger wasn't reliable. He said there was a Junior Sister who had old ties with both of us, and by the time I received the letter, I would have already met her."

Hong Jian still couldn't believe it. She asked suspiciously, "Could he be talking about Qi Xiuning? She is his proper Junior Sister."