Chapter 393: Fake Wine
Zhu Xuanji held the light letter, yet it felt scalding hot in his hands!
Although he very much wanted to throw it away, he recalled that when he had returned to the capital to report his duties and paid respects to the king, the latter had directly ordered him—he was to represent the royal Zhu Family of the Southern Dou and take responsibility for the matter of the Lava Immortal Palace in the future.
But Zhu Xuanji always felt that he was being pushed by the king to the frontlines, to be the one in contact with the Son of Calamity!
Grinding his teeth, Zhu Xuanji forced himself to open the letter. His spiritual sense swept through the contents—
“To the esteemed Elder Brother Zhu Xuanji, this humble one writes with respect:
(Zhu Xuanji: Who’s your elder brother? Don’t call me that randomly!)
Since we parted, the vast lands have kept us apart, news has been scarce, and time has flown by. It has already been dozens of days. A day apart feels like three years. Your graceful bearing and manner, I have never forgotten for even a moment.
(Zhu Xuanji: Why do you remember so clearly? Forget about me already!)
I still recall when, within the Lava Immortal Palace, you and I joined forces, fighting side by side. At Mist-Hidden Mountain, we weathered the storm together, uniting and coordinating—truly one of the greatest delights of my life. Your strategies were far-sighted, your actions carefree. This foolish one was filled with admiration and respect. Each time I recall those scenes, warmth fills my heart. If we could continue this bond, it would surely be Heaven’s blessing.
(Zhu Xuanji: Who said we fought side by side? Weren’t you just scheming against me? Not good, very not good! What does this brat want from me this time?)
I now have a small request. This humble one has long heard of our Southern Dou Kingdom’s cellared Yearning Wine—its rich fragrance, beyond compare, a treasure of the world. Though I have never tasted it, my heart has yearned for it. Might I dare ask brother to gift me a jar, to quench my thirst for fine wine and also to continue our old bond?
(Zhu Xuanji: Yearning Wine? This brat likes drinking now? Fine, I’ll give it to you, just don’t bring me trouble.)
Furthermore, there is an ancient sage, called the Five Elements Divine Lord. This humble one is greatly interested, but my information is limited. I therefore beg brother to bestow upon me some details, to resolve my confusion. If I could learn even a little, I would be eternally grateful.
(Zhu Xuanji: Five Elements Divine Lord? That’s a big name. I think I’ve seen it somewhere. Seeking information from me? He’s after the archives of my Detective Division, isn’t he. Good brat, you’ve come to the right man. Fine, I’ll give it to you, I’ll give it to you!)
May your recent investigations be as swift as lightning, unraveling mysteries, piercing through illusions. May every case be solved smoothly, and may success come to you soon. If you ever have free time, I wish to invite you to Myriad Medicines Valley. The scenery is enchanting, vegetation lush—it would be perfect to share fine wine, reminisce about old times, and discuss new strategies.
With deepest respect, may brother remain well. May we soon meet again to fulfill our grand ambitions!
Respectfully,
Ning Zhuo”
(Zhu Xuanji: Myriad Medicines Valley? Oh, I recall there’s a large sect there, called the Myriad Medicines Sect. You want me to go to Myriad Medicines Valley? Ha! As if! Dream on!)
After finishing the letter, Zhu Xuanji’s forehead was slightly sweating.
As for the Son of Calamity, he wanted to stay as far away as possible.
Invite him to the Myriad Medicines Sect?
Not going!
Absolutely not going!
Yearning Wine and information on the Five Elements Divine Lord—fine, take them, take them all.
Just don’t bother me again.
“Wait, why is Ning Zhuo specially seeking information about the Five Elements Divine Lord? What has he come into contact with this time?”
“No, stop thinking. Don’t think about it.”
“Why get involved with the Son of Calamity?!”
Zhu Xuanji immediately warned himself in his heart.
Staying on high alert, he personally examined the archives, scouring the records, and extracted everything related to the Five Elements Divine Lord, compiling it into a Jade Slip.
He even used his connections to retrieve a jar of Yearning Wine, cellared for over a hundred years, from the royal treasury.
At last, he used his Courier Station privilege for direct transmission, sending these items at the fastest possible speed to Ning Zhuo.
——
At Myriad Medicines Valley.
Ning Zhuo received the information and was quite surprised.
He sighed to Sun Lingtong: “Old Zhu is truly loyal and capable. I didn’t expect him to act so quickly and get it done.”
“To him, it was just a small matter, but to me, it was a great help.”
“Yes, I must thank him properly in the future. If I need something else, I’ll ask him again!”
Sun Lingtong replied: “Right now, your Ning Family’s performance in the Lava Immortal Palace affair directly concerns whether Huoshi Immortal City falls into the hands of the Meng Family. To the royal family, this is extremely important.”
“Little Zhuo, you are now a crucial figure of the Ning Family. Of course Zhu Xuanji will value you.”
“I just never expected that in the end, we would become friends with Zhu Xuanji. The twists of fate are truly surprising.”
“However, regarding your investigation into the Five Elements Divine Lord, do you still harbor suspicions?”
Ning Zhuo nodded with a hum: “I have studied the classics and histories thoroughly, yet I have never seen the name of the Five Elements Divine Lord. With such great power, he must be from ancient times.”
“The living have Yang lifespan, the dead have Yin lifespan. Both are limited.”
“By all logic, an ancient powerhouse’s Yin lifespan should have been long exhausted by now. Yet I sense that the Five Elements Divine Lord is still vigorous and alive. This is not normal.”
“The biggest point of doubt is that, after I returned to the Puppet Dragon, I was clearly sober from the wine, yet I still received the transmission from the Five Elements Divine Lord.”
“I told Linghu Jiu about this, but even he could not explain it.”
“There are many strange aspects to this. For me to receive the transmission and gain the complete ‘Divine Spirit Art of the Five Viscera Temple’ felt a little too easy. Moreover, my advancement in the Five Elements realm is even more valuable than this divine art itself.”
“Though I am young and lacking in years, I have read many books. My experience may be shallow, but for the matter of the Lava Immortal Palace, I still schemed and prepared bitterly for fourteen years.”
“To suddenly receive such a great fortune—honestly, I feel deeply uneasy in my heart.”
Sun Lingtong shrugged: “What’s there to fear about this? You’re not even cultivating this divine art, and the Five Elements realm fully belongs to you alone—it’s a solid, undeniable benefit.”
“Yin lifespan is limited, but how could someone as powerful as the Five Elements Divine Lord be measured with common reasoning?”
“We are merely two Foundation Establishment juniors. How could we possibly comprehend the might of the Five Elements Divine Lord?”
Ning Zhuo shook his head: “If I had first investigated and understood the details, I would be able to study the ‘Divine Spirit Art of the Five Viscera Temple’ at ease later.”
Sun Lingtong nodded: “Mm, being this cautious is not a bad thing either. Let’s take a look together at what the jade slip says.”
Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong both projected their spiritual sense.
All of the intelligence regarding the Five Elements Divine Lord was completely known to them.
Just as Ning Zhuo had guessed, the Five Elements Divine Lord was indeed a figure of ancient times—
He appeared after the Blood Slaughter Dynasty, at the beginning of the Martial Emperor era!
The Blood Slaughter Dynasty was the very first dynasty in history.
The so-called dynasty was a power that unified the entire world, the entire expanse of lands.
Throughout all of history, there had only been three dynasties. The Blood Slaughter Dynasty was the first.
At that time, human cultivators were not the main force. Instead, demons and devils rampaged freely—that was the most prominent trait of the dynasty.
After the dynasty collapsed, powers across the world fell into endless strife and slaughter, throwing everything into chaos.
Not until a man of mixed blood—human, demon, and devil—ascended the throne as emperor, did the world regain much of its order.
This man was the Martial Emperor!
In history, he was considered the second Emperor Sovereign.
As for empires, only five were acknowledged throughout history. One of the standards for recognition was that a cultivation empire must occupy at least eighty percent of the world’s territory, with immense influence, becoming the very body of the world.
The Five Elements Divine Lord and the Martial Emperor shared a very close relationship, being both friend and foe.
He was gifted beyond compare and forceful in manner. Before the Martial Emperor ascended the throne, he fought alongside him, sharing a deep bond of camaraderie in battle.
The battle that brought the Five Elements Divine Lord fame was his clash with the Black River Flood Dragon Demon. At that time, he charged alone into the Black River, turning its waters scarlet with blood, and after fighting the flood dragon demon for three days and nights, he slew it. By his own strength alone, he swept away a major demon power and shook the world.
His peak battle was against the Blood Sea Demon Lord. Leading his army, he besieged the Blood Sea for several years. In the end, with the Five Elements Demon-Slaying Formation he had arranged, he trapped and killed the Blood Sea Demon Lord. From that battle on, he was recognized as the foremost under the Martial Emperor.
The last campaign of the Five Elements Divine Lord was the Battle of Ten Thousand Demons Mountain. The Martial Emperor led a grand army to sweep across the land, forcing the demons and devils to gather at Ten Thousand Demons Mountain.
The demonic forces gathered in full, and despite long assaults, the Martial Emperor could not break through. At this critical juncture, the Five Elements Divine Lord was entrusted with the task. He personally charged into battle, manifesting the five spirits, divine light soaring to the heavens, and fought the demons in a life-and-death struggle.
In the end, the Martial Emperor’s army conquered Ten Thousand Demons Mountain, shattering what was once the highest peak of the age. The Five Elements Divine Lord, however, fell on the battlefield.
All of this was recorded in official history.
Yet according to the intelligence gathered by the Detective Division, through numerous clues and archaeological findings, another tale had been compiled—a piece of unofficial history.
This unofficial history told of a love entanglement between two men and one woman.
The two men were the Martial Emperor and the Five Elements Divine Lord, while the woman was the Immortal Consort Jingyu.
In their early years of traveling the world together, the two men encountered her, and both developed feelings of love. But in the end, Immortal Consort Jingyu married the Martial Emperor.
However, the Martial Emperor had many consorts and was focused entirely on his grand undertaking, neglecting Immortal Consort Jingyu’s feelings.
The Five Elements Divine Lord and Immortal Consort Jingyu often met in secret, until eventually, the Martial Emperor discovered them.
The Martial Emperor then contrived to have Immortal Consort Jingyu captured by demons and taken to Ten Thousand Demons Mountain. The Five Elements Divine Lord, disregarding his own safety, went to rescue her. In the end, both he and Immortal Consort Jingyu perished together at Ten Thousand Demons Mountain.
Because of this, after the Martial Emperor accomplished his grand enterprise, he personally ordered all records erased, attempting to bury the affair of the Five Elements Divine Lord and Immortal Consort Jingyu in the river of history, never to be known by later generations.
After reading, Sun Lingtong exclaimed: “So, the Martial Emperor was that kind of man, huh. Tsk, tsk, tsk!”
Ning Zhuo, however, pondered: “No wonder I had never heard this name. On one hand, he was born too long ago; on the other hand, much of the record was erased by deliberate intent, leaving little to pass down.”
The intelligence was finished, yet it still did not explain why the Five Elements Divine Lord endured to this day, passing down a legacy to Ning Zhuo in the netherworld.
“Ten Thousand Demons Mountain, Ten Thousand Demons Cave, Myriad Medicines Valley, Myriad Medicines Sect… I never imagined this valley had once been the highest peak under heaven. The sacred mountain where ten thousand demons gathered had become nothing more than the station of an ordinary medicine-selling sect. Change of the seas and mulberry fields could not surpass this,” Sun Lingtong sighed in wonder.
Ning Zhuo furrowed his brow: “Something’s off. I can’t shake the feeling there’s something strange.”
“Boss, I’m going to drink the Deep Thought and Brewing Intent again.”
Sun Lingtong said, “You may drink, but don’t go near the Lingyin Willow.”
“Of course I know that,” Ning Zhuo nodded.
He left the Puppet Dragon at once, had Sun Lingtong steer it, and withdrew to the corner of the cave residence, putting a great distance between himself and Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion and solemnly took a sip of the Deep Thought and Brewing Intent.
Nothing happened.
He drank a few more sips.
All was calm!
Ning Zhuo’s brow sank deeper; after pondering for a while, he summoned Hua Guzi.
“Ning Zhuo Gongzi! You finally called me!” Hua Guzi’s eyes gleamed; she was highly excited.
Ning Zhuo waved his hand: “Take a look at this wine.”
Hua Guzi used various methods to probe, and finally tasted a mouthful. She spat and said, “This wine was crudely made, the recipe contradicted itself—this is counterfeit wine!”
“Gongzi, tell me who handed you this thing to fool you? I’ll cut them down and avenge you!”