“How could the Sixth Princess of White Tree Nation, with her meager cultivation, possibly escape from Black Vulture Nation? How do you explain that?”
Jin Yue once again voiced his questioning.
He still believed Xu Taiping was lying; he just hadn’t pinpointed the crux of the matter.
Upon hearing this, Xu Taiping glanced at Jin Yue, thinking to himself that unless he brought up Sister Haitang and Brother Xiang, this group would undoubtedly continue to cause trouble.
With this thought, Xu Taiping turned to face Jin Yue and said:
“Indeed, I’m not sure how to explain this. According to the princess, when she attempted to assassinate the emperor of Black Vulture Nation, both of them regained their memories from past lives. They discovered they were exiled immortals, originally named Qi Haitang and Xiang Nantian.”
Upon hearing this, the Merit Hall erupted into commotion once again.
Even Zhao Qian and Qingxiao were taken aback.
“Qi Haitang and Xiang Nantian have both broken their seals?”
Qingxiao, who had only recently learned that the Sixth Princess of White Tree Nation and the emperor of Black Vulture Nation were the legendary couple from the Three Watches Pavilion, Qi Haitang and Xiang Nantian, was unaware that the two had broken their seals.
“It’s impossible. These two have reincarnated seven times without breaking their seals. How could they possibly do it now?!”
Jin Yue blurted out.
Hearing this, Xu Taiping looked skeptically at Jin Yue and said:
“So, Peak Master Jin already knew they were exiled immortals.”
Jin Yue’s mouth twitched at this, then he quickly regained his scholarly composure and said:
“Taiping, words alone are not proof. You must present evidence, otherwise, concerning the Nine Mansions, you must visit the Hall of Seven Laws today.”
“Taiping, have Qi Haitang and Xiang Nantian truly broken their seals?”
At this moment, Zhao Qian approached Xu Taiping with a serious expression.
The matter at hand was far more significant than Xu Taiping’s mere experience mission.
Xu Taiping nodded, then took out the talisman scroll given to him by Sister Haitang and handed it to Zhao Qian, saying:
“Elder Haitang, grateful for my protection along the way, entrusted this talisman scroll to me, and then she told me…”
He trailed off, hesitating.
“Told you what?”
Zhao Qian asked.
“She said, to spare Qingxuan Sect this time and let them reflect on their actions.”
Xu Taiping replied.
“Hmph, a well-crafted story indeed,” Elder Lu scoffed upon hearing this.
“Whether it’s made up or not, Elder Lu, Peak Master Jin, you’ll know once you listen to the message in this talisman,” Xu Taiping turned to the two men.
Seeing Xu Taiping’s confidence, Zhao Qian immediately took the talisman scroll, infused it with spiritual power, and declared loudly, “Enough arguing, truth or falsehood will be clear upon listening.”
“Then let’s unravel the message in this talisman,” Jin Yue nodded with a frown.
“Hum…”
As a violent surge of spiritual power emanated from the talisman scroll in Zhao Qian’s hand, a rugged voice boomed:
“Listen up, you scum of Qingxuan Sect!”
This voice made everyone present frown, but soon, as a fierce pressure like a tsunami spread from the talisman, the displeasure in their eyes turned to terror.
At that moment, a woman’s somewhat icy voice rang out:
“In light of this young brother’s protection along the way, my husband and I will not trouble Qingxuan Sect this time. But remember, you flip-floppers, if I find out you’ve colluded with that venomous woman, I will personally raze your Yunlu Mountain to the ground, and even your little uncle won’t be able to help you!”
The pressure in her voice was even heavier and more ferocious than the previous one. Each word she spoke seemed like a thousand-pound boulder, smashing heavily onto everyone’s chests.
“Also, be sure to thank this young brother. If it weren’t for him, my husband and I would have certainly paid Qingxuan Sect a visit.”
As the woman’s voice sounded again, many cultivators in the hall were already struggling to hold up and began to sit cross-legged to meditate and recuperate.
Even Jin Yue and Elder Lu had beads of sweat covering their foreheads.
“That’s right, this young man is an honest person. If we learn that you’ve mistreated him, my husband and I will still make a trip to your Qingxuan Sect!”
With the man’s voice ending, the oppressive force from the talisman dissipated like the tide.
“They really are that crazy couple!” Zhao Qian put down the talisman scroll, earing his ears, his face full of shock.
But quickly, his astonishment turned to smugness as he glared fiercely at Jin Yue and Elder Lu:
“Do you two have anything else to say now?”
The pale-faced Jin Yue took a deep breath, then glared at Elder Lu beside him:
“Elder Lu, you have been negligent!”
Elder Lu’s face was filled with despair, and he thought to himself:
“Who knew this kid would be so lucky to encounter the couple just as they broke their seals!”
Then, with reluctance, he bowed to Xu Taiping and said:
“Taiping, this was an oversight on my part, please forgive me.”
As he spoke, his body trembled.
For an Elder to apologize to a newly initiated disciple was humiliating; how could he face the disciples of Qingxuan Sect after today?
…
Dusk Drum Mountain.
Qi Yue Pavilion.
“You’ve truly had a hard journey. If we had realized sooner, we would never have let you undertake this mission.”
After listening to Xu Taiping’s account of his trip to Black Vulture Nation, Qingxiao sighed with a hint of self-reproach.
“It wasn’t too hard, and I was fortunate to witness that legendary couple.”
Xu Taiping smiled and shook his head.
“Although this couple has high cultivation, they have made many enemies in the Nine Mansions. It’s best if you mention this matter as little as possible in the future,” Qingxiao frowned and cautioned Xu Taiping.
“I understand,” Xu Taiping nodded.
This was also why he had been reluctant to reveal the message in the talisman.
“By the way, something happened on the mountain while you were away,” Qingxiao suddenly said with a serious look at Xu Taiping.
“What happened?”
Seeing Qingxiao’s seriousness, Xu Taiping immediately became tense.
“Zi Jin of Fifth Peak has been confined to the Cliff of Contemplation by the Hall of Seven Laws and will soon be expelled from Yunlu Mountain, demoted to Mortal Bones,” Qingxiao said with a heavy tone.
“Why?”
Xu Taiping was surprised.
As far as he knew, Zi Jin was a highly valued disciple of Fifth Peak and should not have ended up like this.
“To avenge her sister, she gravely wounded Lu Chen of Fifth Peak to near death,” Qingxiao sighed.
Hearing this, Xu Taiping’s heart skipped a beat.
He hadn’t expected Zi Jin to ignore his advice and give the Dust-Seeking Fragrance to the Hall of Seven Laws, choosing instead to seek revenge herself.
“How is Lu Chen now?” Xu Taiping asked with a cold tone.
“Though gravely injured, he’s alive. Otherwise, Zi Jin might not even have the chance to leave the mountain alive,” Qingxiao paused before answering.
After thinking it over, Xu Taiping asked Qingxiao:
“Senior Brother, is there a way for me to meet with Zi Jin?”
He didn’t intend to meddle, but since the incident stemmed from the Dust-Seeking Fragrance he brought, he couldn’t just stand by. Meeting Zi Jin before she was expelled from the mountain would bring closure.