Chapter 617: Joy and Sorrow
Sun Family.
The image of Qing Chi killing the wandering Ghost General, followed by the Qingjiao Army guarding the city wall and slaughtering ghosts until none dared approach, was once again replayed before the upper echelon of the Sun Family.
This was already the fourteenth time.
The cultivators of the Sun Family, combining various pieces of intelligence they had gathered, had already studied the Qingjiao Army more than twenty times.
“That's right, this is truly a cultivation army!”
“Although Qing Chi is a genius and already possesses Golden Core–level combat strength at the Foundation Establishment stage, that final strike clearly exceeded her previous limits. That was the reinforcement of military power!”
“What should we do?”
The upper ranks of the Sun Family fell into silence.
Reality had undergone a tremendous change, presenting them with a problem they had never anticipated before.
Someone broke the silence and asked, “What is the current situation of our clan member Sun Tiesheng?”
“The spirit contract treasure-refining formation of the Zhuangyang Courtyard is still operating. The Golden Swallow Fork has not shown any sign of acknowledging a master.”
“What about Jiao Ma?”
“Ever since he successfully defended himself and proved his innocence, he has caught the eye of the City Lord. Since then, he has been rather inattentive in the treasure-refining formation and often leaves the Zhuangyang Courtyard, showing little concern for the Golden Swallow Fork.”
“….”
Silence once again filled the hall.
Sun Tiesheng’s father spoke.
“We must not underestimate Jiao Ma! This might only be a deception strategy by the Jiao Family to confuse their enemies.”
“Look at this new army’s creation. The Jiao Family kept an extremely low profile throughout the entire process. Then suddenly, they joined forces with the Ghost Clan Qing Family and actually established a cultivation army!”
A Sun Family elder sighed.
“A cultivation army… I never expected they would actually succeed. How many attempts had White Paper Immortal City made in the past?”
Another elder shook his head.
“You can’t calculate it like that.”
“Many times in history, White Paper Immortal City was already close to success, yet each time it was sabotaged secretly.”
“Later investigations revealed the shadows of super sects such as the Myriad Phenomena Sect and the Soul-Devouring Sect behind the scenes. Once that was discovered, the investigations came to an abrupt halt.”
“This time they succeeded only because the timing was right, and all sides were fully supporting them.”
The patriarch of the Sun Family nodded slightly.
“That’s correct.”
“First of all, there is this demon cultivator Lord Li Xiangshang. His talent is extraordinary. That he could strongly assist in building the army was truly unexpected.”
“Secondly, the Lord of White Paper Immortal City is generous and bold, repeatedly allocating funds without the slightest concern for the future balance of power. It seems as if she is not worried at all that the army might grow too powerful to control. The scale of her support is astonishing.”
“Thirdly, there is Qing Chi. Though young, her talent is exceptional. She has fought bravely before and has already gathered the army’s morale around herself. Now it seems she can even transform that morale into a military branch. Her performance is astonishing and repeatedly exceeds expectations.”
“Fourthly, the Qing Family and Jiao Family are supporting it with their entire clans. They have emptied their family coffers and drawn out their elite members to form the army.”
“Lastly, super sects such as the Myriad Phenomena Sect and the Soul-Devouring Sect are wary of the current Ghost Tide and the Yin Soldier army. Because of this, they have allowed the new army to be established.”
The relationship between these super sects and White Paper Immortal City was rather complicated.
They were both the city’s protectors and obstacles to its development.
Under normal circumstances, they did not want White Paper Immortal City to become too powerful and monopolize all the resources of the Yin-Tide Black Damp Swamp.
The Ghost Tide phenomenon had to be viewed from two perspectives.
On one hand, it indeed brought enormous hardship and challenges to White Paper Immortal City.
On the other hand, it was also a surging tide of resources. Although ghosts were dangerous, once exterminated they left behind high-quality cultivation resources.
Such resources were common in the Underworld, but in the living world they were difficult to gather in large quantities, and some were extremely rare.
The analysis of the Sun Family patriarch was widely acknowledged.
Without any one of these factors, the new army could not have been established.
Creating a cultivation army was simply too difficult.
Only now, with the right timing, location, and unity among people, had all factors converged to make it possible.
Even so, the new army was not truly established yet. It was still undergoing the stages of military logistics and military system organization, and there were more steps to follow afterward.
The Sun Family’s upper ranks continued discussing.
“That brat Jiao Ma is quite cunning. He may be disguising himself while secretly plotting to seize the Golden Swallow Fork.”
“Even if he isn’t, we must assume he is. The Golden Swallow Fork… is far too important for our Sun Family.”
“He himself possesses respectable cultivation talent. Otherwise the Jiao Family would not have selected him to be a male consort.”
“Now he also has the Qingjiao Army backing him. I don’t know about the rest, but if I were the City Lord under the same circumstances, I would definitely abandon Sun Tiesheng and choose Jiao Ma. After all, Jiao Ma’s relationship with Qing Chi is extremely close.”
The impact caused by the Qingjiao Army was simply too great. Both allies and enemies were studying them.
The past of Jiao Ma and Qing Chi had never been deliberately concealed. Thus investigators dug everything up, and everyone knew that Jiao Ma and Qing Chi had grown up together as childhood sweethearts, their relationship extremely close.
“You know…” One elder suddenly gained inspiration. “Perhaps we can make use of this point?”
The other elders’ eyes lit up.
Soon, under the Sun Family’s manipulation, rumors began spreading wildly throughout the entire immortal city.
“Jiao Ma (Ning Zhuo), though a male consort, behaves improperly and is secretly involved with Qing Chi!”
“The Lord of White Paper Immortal City, weakened in her main body, has been cuckolded without realizing it and is still fully supporting Qing Chi in building the new army.”
“The City Lord is forced by the situation. Even knowing she has been cuckolded, she still supports the army’s creation. But surely she will seek revenge in the future!”
“Qing Chi is ambitious—she wants both the handsome man Jiao Ma and the position of Lord of White Paper Immortal City!”
All kinds of rumors pointed directly at Qing Chi—after all, she was the one currently in the spotlight.
Although Ning Zhuo had already kept a low profile and concealed the fact that he was the deputy commander of the Qingjiao Army, his close relationship with Qing Chi still dragged him into the storm of public opinion.
And gossip involving the City Lord’s romantic affairs spread even faster.
Rumors could kill.
Many forces and powerful figures closely watched the reaction of the Lord of White Paper Immortal City.
Under countless eyes, the City Lord publicly summoned Jiao Ma.
The doors were tightly closed. Only after half an hour did Jiao Ma finally take his leave.
While outsiders speculated about the interrogation and reprimand he must have endured, he was actually calmly drinking tea.
The City Lord’s clone personally received him and praised him.
As expected of the savior mentioned in the Prophetic Poem. Last time he saved the Paper Giant Statue, and this time he helped bring about the creation of the new army. The entire crisis was changing because of Jiao Ma.
All of this made the City Lord even more hopeful.
As for the rumors, they had already been confirmed to be the work of the Sun Family. With just a slight nod from Ning Zhuo, the City Lord would immediately issue an order to wipe out the entire Sun Family.
How dare these people attempt to drive a wedge between the City Lord and the savior for their own selfish interests?
Ning Zhuo immediately shook his head.
“That is unnecessary. The immortal city is surrounded by crises inside and out. The Sun Family is still useful.”
“Who among people does not have selfish desires? It can still be forgiven.”
“Besides, slaughtering an entire clan rashly would be too brutal and easily exploited by enemies. The identity of the traitor still hasn’t been discovered.”
The City Lord’s clone immediately praised Ning Zhuo for his magnanimity and noble character.
The supposed “victim,” the Lord of White Paper Immortal City, actually praised Jiao Ma (Ning Zhuo) for his generosity. If word of this spread, no one in the city would believe it.
Later, the City Lord also summoned Qing Chi, Qing Yan, and Jiao Ma’s father.
The three were extremely nervous. The City Lord’s clone treated them far more coldly.
She simply listened to their reports, ordered paper puppet servants to bring tea, and then left.
The three remained in the hall drinking several rounds of tea and eating dark-style pastries before finally being allowed to leave after an entire hour.
From the City Lord’s perspective, she had long discovered that Jiao Ma was actually Ning Zhuo in disguise.
Thus she had no concern about any emotional relationship between Jiao Ma and Qing Chi.
In fact, she felt reassured.
Because she held this secret in her hands. If it were exposed, a huge rift would immediately appear between Jiao Ma and the Qingjiao Army.
But she would never do that.
At least for now, having “Jiao Ma” and Qing Chi appear inseparable was beneficial to White Paper Immortal City.
The City Lord’s two lenient responses quickly clarified her stance for everyone.
That very night, at least six factions secretly approached Qing Yan.
Although Qing Yan was a Golden Core cultivator, he was still of the Ghost Clan and thus socially inferior.
Jiao Ma’s father, however, was a human Golden Core cultivator. He received a stack of invitations as more than a dozen factions visited him overnight.
Even Ning Zhuo received visitors.
Most of them were politely turned away.
He had no patience for pretending friendship with opportunistic factions and wasting his cultivation time.
In truth, Qing Chi’s comprehension of the military system had slightly stimulated Ning Zhuo.
Qing Chi had never studied military strategy before.
But Ning Zhuo had the experience of the Liangzhu Kingdom war and two treasures of the military strategists:
Gao Sheng’s Testament and Soldiers Sharing One Helm.
He intended to use these two treasures to assist himself.
Unfortunately, he still had not fully comprehended the Warrior Returns Art.
Only after completely understanding it could he use Soldiers Sharing One Helm.
Sun Lingtong could already do it, but he had more important tasks—remaining inside the enemy army and providing intelligence to Ning Zhuo.
“I refuse to believe it,” Ning Zhuo muttered while studying military manuals intensely.
At that moment, a “friend” visited him, forcing him to interrupt his cultivation.
It was none other than Yang Weida.
Ning Zhuo led him into the reception room.
Yang Weida immediately knelt and expressed his wish to pledge allegiance.
Ning Zhuo was startled and quickly helped him up.
“Brother Yang, why go so far?”
Yang Weida smiled bitterly.
“Brother Jiao is like a dragon whose head is seen but not its tail. I waited many days before finally seeing you return to the Zhuangyang Courtyard.”
“Please do not worry. My visit today is sincere.”
He then demonstrated his sincerity.
He handed Ning Zhuo a heavy storage bag containing nearly all his wealth.
“I have done business for many years and accumulated a little wealth. I heard the new army still requires military funds. Though this is but a drop in the ocean, I hope Brother Jiao will accept it.”
Ning Zhuo fell silent.
The wealth inside exceeded that of most Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Among it was a rare treasure material called Void-Piercing Shuttle Iron, of Nascent Soul grade and extremely rare on the market.
Ning Zhuo looked puzzled.
“Other factions are local forces of the immortal city—I understand their motives. But you are an outsider. Why go this far?”
Yang Weida sighed bitterly.
Ning Zhuo invited him to sit and served tea.
Yang Weida sat upright, drinking carefully and placing himself in a lower position.
He then changed the topic.
“Brother Jiao, do you know that Sun Tiesheng has already accepted Lord Li Xiangshang’s Golden Nest Demon Seed?”
“Oh?” Ning Zhuo had heard rumors of it.
Yang Weida smiled bitterly.
“My elder brother is Yang Sanyan, a true disciple of the Myriad Phenomena Sect. My information network comes from the sect’s local branch.”
Then he stared at Ning Zhuo.
“With the prestige of the Qingjiao Army and your importance to the City Lord, you must already know this. Yet you remain unmoved, as if willing to watch Sun Tiesheng succeed.”
Ning Zhuo nodded.
The Golden Swallow Fork was never his true objective.
He was more interested in whether it could lure out the hidden traitor.
He then spoke honestly.
“I have told you before—I truly have little interest in the Golden Swallow Fork.”
Yang Weida stared at him silently for a long time.
Finally he sighed.
“Sometimes people cannot be compared.”
“What we desperately struggle to obtain is something you simply do not care about.”
“With the Qingjiao Army behind you, Brother Jiao, your position is already secure.”
He then revealed something shocking.
“Did you know Sun Tiesheng cried the entire night?”
Ning Zhuo raised his eyebrows.
Yang Weida nodded.
“Lord Li Xiangshang revealed his intention to support you in competing for the Golden Swallow Fork.”
“Thus the Sun Family forced Sun Tiesheng to accept the Golden Nest Demon Seed.”
“From now on he will be half human and half demon, and his cultivation path is essentially severed.”
“He cried the whole night. I understand him completely.”
“But even his fate is something most male consorts envy.”
“Honestly… I am one of them.”
Yang Weida pointed to himself.
He explained his life as a traveling merchant, risking his life countless times.
He had come to White Paper Immortal City seeking opportunity.
“Now that the Golden Swallow Fork will soon have a master, the position of male consort has become awkward.”
“My future is bleak. So I came to seek another path.”
He wanted to rely on Ning Zhuo.
If he could not succeed alone, he would follow a stronger person.
That too was a way cultivators survived.
Ning Zhuo hesitated.
“You should rely on your elder brother instead.”
Yang Weida shook his head bitterly.
“My brother’s position in the Myriad Phenomena Sect is special. He cannot openly protect relatives.”
After thinking for a moment, Ning Zhuo nodded and accepted the wealth.
“Very well. I will accept this and guarantee you a future.”
In truth, the new army desperately needed funds.
Meanwhile, turmoil spread through the Zhuangyang Courtyard.
Most male consorts had come for the Golden Swallow Fork.
Now that it was about to have a master, many sought other opportunities.
The next day—
“Hahaha!”
Sun Tiesheng held the Golden Swallow Fork high.
He had succeeded.
Golden light bathed his body.
But he had changed.
His eyes were narrow, and golden eyebrows appeared—he was no longer purely human.
People around him congratulated him.
But as he laughed, tears streamed down his face.
He had soared to prominence like a sparrow turning into a phoenix.
Yet he also felt sorrow and hatred.
He had been forced.
The family needed him to do this.
Every gain came with a price.
“Alright, Tiesheng,” his father said. “The family did not treat you unfairly.”
“We once hoped to protect your cultivation path. But the sudden emergence of the Qingjiao Army left us no choice.”
Sun Tiesheng closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he had regained his composure.
“I understand.”
His father clapped his shoulder.
“This is a joyous event for the entire Sun Family.”
“Let us celebrate it properly.”
The Sun Family immediately decided to hold a grand banquet.
That night the Sun Family hosted countless guests.
Even the Zhuangyang Courtyard became part of the celebration.
Many male consorts attended, congratulating the transformed Sun Tiesheng with complicated emotions.
The banquet lasted all night.
The entire city noticed the noise and spectacle.
But the next morning—
“Someone’s dead!”
“They’re all dead!”
“Oh heavens—the entire Zhuangyang Courtyard is finished!”
Every male consort who attended the banquet had died.
The first among them was Sun Tiesheng.
Upon hearing the news, Ning Zhuo rushed to the scene.
In a corner of the banquet hall—
He discovered Yang Weida’s corpse.