Chapter 40: Song Yilou Is Not Doing His Job in the Immortal Realm
If the Golden Mission couldn’t be done, there were still new stowaways delivered to his doorstep.
Following the System’s prompts, Yun Wuxiang arrived at the Shen Manor filled with killing intent. From a distance, he heard the clash of blades accompanied by hearty, boisterous laughter.
“Mo Yang, your sword’s light has dimmed. Haven’t maintained it in a while, have you? This won’t do. No maintenance and no refiningâwhat a waste for such a good sword to follow you.”
“The Purple Cloud Sect doesn’t suit you at all. Come to our Huaxu Sect! Come on, come on, the Grandmaster has had his eye on you for a long time. As long as you agree to come, you’ll be my Junior Martial Uncle. Thatâs a huge advantage; I don’t give ordinary people this opportunity,” laughed a figure dressed in multicolored splendor.
His body was piled high with various colors, and the heavy sword in his hand was similarly inlaid with colorful gems. As Mo Yang attacked, he kicked the flat of his heavy sword, sending it upward to block the incoming longsword.
With a crisp sound, the heavy sword smashed into the ground.
Just as Yun Wuxiangâs toes touched the roof ridge, a sharp, cold light shot toward his forehead. He raised his hand, catching the flying object between two fingers. The flowing wind gently lifted the hair at his temples as his gaze shifted, sweeping over the half-broken sword blade held between his fingers.
Mo Yangâs furious roar echoed in his ears: “Jin Hongqi!”
Jin Hongqi let out a guilty, dry laugh. “Hahaha, Mo Yang, this sword of yours was getting old anyway. Itâs time for it to take a good rest in your storage bag. I have a few young swords recently forged by Master Mo Shan. How about you pick one first?”
Mo Yang frowned. “You’re pulling this again.”
Jin Hongqi grinned, revealing a mouthful of snow-white teeth. “Master Mo Shanâs new work: Celestial Stardust mixed with Red Flame Liquid Gold. The blade can pierce the armored back of a Yamazaki Great Demon without effort. I saw it with my own eyes at the auction. Do you want it?”
“How many Immortal Pearls for this sword? I’ll pay you back later.” Mo Yang was shamefully tempted.
Jin Hongqi waved his hand. “What price? Consider this sword my compensation to you. Of course, since you have no sword left, I win this contest. The apprentice is mine, hahaha!”
His face beaming with joy, he waved to a yellow-clad girl nearby. “Junxuan, come, call me Master!”
“Once the Descending Immortal Altar is repaired, I’ll take you back to the Immortal Realm.”
“Okay, Master!” Nan Junxuan, dressed in crisp, agile martial attire, ran over with a bright smile.
On the roof ridge behind them, Yun Wuxiang looked down holding the broken sword. what did that flashy chatterbox just say?
[Host, someone is trying to abduct the female supporting character.]
[I heard.] Yun Wuxiang rotated the angle of the broken blade between his fingers and let go.
Mo Yang sensed the anomaly and shouted to Jin Hongqi: “Dodge!”
It was too late to intercept it physically; he threw the broken hilt in his hand toward the incoming projectile.
Bang!
A swift afterimage drew a straight line through the air, piercing the wooden post behind Jin Hongqi and burying itself in the ground.
A drop of red liquid fell to the floor, followed by a severed lock of loose hair.
Jin Hongqi felt a stinging pain just below his eye. Ignoring the cut, he looked up in the direction the broken blade had come from. Halfway through lifting his head, he froze. The tip of a golden longsword was hovering right between his eyebrows.
Behind the blade, on a face of elegant, otherworldly beauty, distant and lofty eyes cast a gaze downward. It was like a solitary cloud from the highest heavens passing overhead, leaving behind a cool, faint shadow.
“Why have you descended?”
“Who are you! Why are you pointing at my Master?” Nan Junxuan ran three steps in two, hiding behind Mo Yang but poking half her head out to ask.
“Master, you’re back!” Shen Lanqing, hearing Mo Yang’s exclamation, hurried over, quickly walking to Yun Wuxiangâs side.
Jin Hongqi took half a step back, but the sword blade followed him forward. He looked at Shen Lanqing and pointed to the sword in front of him. “Brother Shen, could you ask your Master to move the sword a little?”
Shen Lanqing looked at him. His gaze, which had been polite and gentle, turned vigilant and coated with faint hostility. “Master, is there a problem with this person?”
“Prevaricating and avoiding the question. He has a guilty conscience. He should be killed.” As Yun Wuxiang spoke, the longsword in his hand made a move to thrust forward.
Mo Yang took a step forward, his voice urgent: “Temple Master, wait!”
“Wait! I came down to deliver a visiting card to you!” Jin Hongqi bent backward while retreating, shouting in panic. “I represent my sect to show goodwill! To invest! My sect has money!”
Yun Wuxiang, having just searched Zhao Sihai’s memories, knew this person was telling the truth. His sect was indeed very rich.
Seven-Colored Peacock Sword Immortal, Jin Hongqi. The second son of the Huaxu Sect Leader.
Huaxu Sect, the wealthiest sect in the Immortal Realm. Even though they paid tribute every year to the three Great Immortal Sects presided over by Immortal Lords, they remained the most famous moneybags in the entire realm.
The reason they could hold such a title under the pressure of three sects protected by Protagonist Halos was simple: their sect had been very rich since their ancestors’ time. The entire sect was refined from a primordial divine object, the Seven-Colored Bright Light Conch Shell.
Once the sect’s grand formation was activated, the conch shell closed. As long as they didn’t come out, even an Immortal Lord couldn’t get in.
Furthermore, their sect possessed many local specialties not found elsewhere. Again, thanks to ancestral blessings, their ancestors had been truly capable people, hauling back all sorts of rare mineral veins and exotic treasures.
They could be self-sufficient even if they closed their doors forever, but it would be hard for the outside world to find those rare treasures within their sect.
In Zhao Sihai’s memories, the impression of this sect was deep, and the people of Huaxu Sect were viewed with envy, jealousy, and hatred.
Now, the second son of the Huaxu Sect Leader had run over saying he wanted to give him money.
Yun Wuxiang, who felt that the celestial spiritual energy on Cangfeng Island was a bit insufficient after advancing to Mystic Immortal, withdrew his sword. He decided to have a little more patience for this flashy fellow for the sake of money.
“Visiting me? The Nanlin Sect would not let outsiders know of matters in the Mortal Realm. Where did you learn of me, and on whose authority do you come before me?” Yun Wuxiang asked.
In the Immortal Realm, only two places could know of his existence: the death image sent back by Bai Lingdang, and the Song Yilou fragment that had possessed someone and run up there.
The Nanlin Sect would be too busy hiding the recording; even if they made it public, it would only be to the other two sects sharing the secret. It certainly wouldn’t be the Huaxu Sect’s turn.
Song Yilou… that guy was capable of anything.
“I came to find you naturally by the Sect’s will; it has nothing to do with the Nanlin Sect.”
Jin Hongqi puffed out his chest proudly, lifting his chin. “It is true that Nanlin Sect keeps a tight lid on events in the Mortal Realm, but our Huaxu Sect has money!”
“As the saying goes, money can make ghosts grind the millstone…”
Mo Yang, knowing his temperament well, coughed lightly to remind him: “Get to the point.”
Jin Hongqi glanced at the sword in Yun Wuxiang’s hand and spoke faster. “To better understand world affairs, we bought off a few people in Nanlin Sect willing to leak some gossip, and accidentally saw your heroic figure enforcing justice on behalf of Heaven.”
“Cough, incidentally, there are now very many people in the Immortal Realm who recognize you.”
“Although no one knows your identity or name, your portrait has already made it onto the Immortal Realm’s Peerless Grace Ranking, ranked in the top ten. Of course, I personallyâand our entire Huaxu Sectâbelieve this ranking is highly inaccurate,” Jin Hongqi said with a face full of sincerity.
Yun Wuxiangâs gaze was unreadable. “My portrait?”
Jin Hongqi nodded. “Exactly.”
Yun Wuxiang: “Who drew it?”
“No one knows that yet. The portrait appeared out of thin air on the ranking keeper’s desk without any residual aura.” Jin Hongqi added, “Before I came, I thought the artist was one of your people. Turns out they aren’t.”
“I have a replica of that portrait here. Please look.” As Jin Hongqi spoke, he took out a thumb-sized scroll from his chest. When opened, it was no bigger than half a palm.
Yun Wuxiang looked. In the portrait, heâlooking as if he had a beauty filter appliedâhad one hand raised before his heart. In his palm rested a black scorpion, and a red string was tied to his ring finger. The other end of the red string was tied to the scorpion’s tail.
“…”
Fine, no need to guess. This painting was definitely related to Song Yilou.
What kind of madness had seized that fragment of Song Yilou who ran to the Immortal Realm? Why submit his portrait to a ranking?
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