The young Daoist had just spoken when the dharma pearl in his hand rotated once, emitting a layer of hazy gray light. It was like the clouds and mist, continuously rising.
Before the two could make any move, the gray mist had already spread, enveloping them and preventing others from peeping with their divine abilities.
"Oh?"
Jiang Boqing's gaze lingered on the gray light surrounding them for a moment before he said softly, "I do not know anything about Answers to a Beggar's Questions Under the Mulberry Tree ... I am only familiar with Buzi from the Azure Pond Sect. As for Xiao Chuting, he is just a somewhat skilled junior whom I have never met, so how would I know anything about him?!"
"Mount Changhuai... it is one thing if you are plotting for the immortal book, but do not go thinking I am an easy target just because I am in a tight spot!" Jiang Boqing spat as he glared at the man with his bloodshot eyes, his face contorted in anger.
"A broken ship still has three jin of nails. When I, Jiang Boqing, was at my peak, you were just a minor Daoist in Wu's jurisdiction. Are you not afraid that I will bite back, at least ending your cultivation path?" he snarled coldly.
"Senior, you must be joking..." Qing Jifang smiled slightly. With this artifact for protection, he was not afraid of being detected by the Purple Mansion Realm cultivators of Yue State, and he said leisurely, "You claim you do not know Xiao Chuting, but you and the Azure Pond Sect orchestrated this massacre in Lixia Prefecture. To say you have no connection with Xiao Chuting... I simply cannot believe it."
At these words, Jiang Boqing's expression changed dramatically, and Jiang Yan beside him was stunned, lifting his head in disbelief. Jiang Boqing, under Jiang Yan's piercing gaze, forced himself to remain calm and replied, "That was Xiao Chuting and the Azure Pond Sect's scheme. I was just exploiting the situation..."
Qing Jifang, having cultivated to the Purple Mansion Realm, was naturally observant. He immediately sensed the fluctuation in Jiang Boqing's emotions and realized something. He then turned and looked at Jiang Yan behind him as he said softly, "Young man, this person used divine ability to entice your father, bringing calamity and killing your mother, refining you as a talisman... and yet you still call him master. How absurd is that?"
Seeing his pretentiousness, Jiang Boqing instead calmed down and said solemnly, "What is the meaning of this, fellow Daoist?"
Seeing Jiang Yan remain silent, Qing Jifang finally turned his gaze to Jiang Boqing and said softly, "I will not quibble with senior. Answers to a Beggar's Questions Under the Mulberry Tree is an immortal book. Besides Duanmu Kui, no one in Jiangnan knows it better than you, Senior... Now that Mount Wu has fallen, everyone's eyes are on you. Not just my Wu State, but even two of the three True Monarchs of Yue State are watching you. Where do you think you can escape to?"
Qing Jifang's voice echoed in the air, and Jiang Boqing's face was covered in blood as they dripped down silently. Qing Jifang's words shattered Jiang Boqing's self-deceptive dream, causing his expression to turn darker.
The Purple Mansion Realm cultivator then shifted his gaze to Jiang Yan and said solemnly, "The father as the yang, the Three Nine True Talisman; the mother's death as yin, the Shamanic Blood Talisman... An excellent body indeed. If Senior is willing to come with me to Wu State, I can spare his life and give you a chance."
"We will just ask about the situation in Yue State, only seeking fragments of the immortal book from your memory. Once done, you can reincarnate." Qing Jifang smiled and continued warmly, "Wu State will have its clues, and Senior will have lost your memory... it is without value anyway, and you will no longer be watched by the True Monarchs. With this excellent body, you can start over and roam the world... is that not wonderful?"
Jiang Boqing stared at him coldly and replied, "I have already obtained a wisp of metallic essence... There is no need to use such divine abilities to confuse me."
Qing Jifang's expression remained unchanged as he smiled and quipped, "It seems I was showing off my skills before an expert, but this offer is sincerely made and still stands."
Jiang Boqing hesitated for a moment, then finally answered, his voice low, "Fine, but first, send my excellent body away."
Qing Jifang was immediately overjoyed and replied, "Senior is courageous... Jifang will never break his promise!"
With that, he drew out a ray of colorful light, lightly capturing Jiang Yan. Jiang Yan, only able to resist the power of a Foundation Establishment Realm with Jiang Boqing's help, was easily captured by the Purple Mansion Realm cultivator.
"Wait, I will do it myself!" Jiang Boqing interrupted loudly.
Qing Jifang suddenly realized Jiang Boqing's sincerity even more, nodding in agreement, "Indeed... indeed, it is better that I do not handle this myself."
At this moment, a slit appeared in the gray mist, allowing Jiang Boqing to send Jiang Yan away. A Purple Mansion Realm cultivator could roam the void, and though not instantly covering thousands of li, a hundred li was still achievable. With Jiang Boqing's metallic essence, he could send Jiang Yan a thousand li away, completely erasing his trail.
Jiang Boqing grabbed the colorful light, activated the metallic essence, and unceremoniously seized control from Qing Jifang, causing the Purple Mansion Realm Daoist's eyelids to twitch.
Jiang Yan, unable to speak, stared at him quietly. Jiang Boqing extended his hand to open a path of black light, sending Jiang Yan away, then turned back with a broad smile to Qing Jifang.
"Senior?" Qing Jifang watched him warily.
Jiang Boqing simply glanced at him, saying softly, "Mount Changhuai has shamanic Dao lineages. If one could obtain Answers to a Beggar's Questions Under the Mulberry Tree , a True Monarch would surely reach a higher level."
"And so what?" Qing Jifang asked as he began to sense that something was amiss. The pearl in his hand floated up and down.
Jiang Boqing laughed and said, "Why don't you guess whether Pristine Water prefers the immortal book to be lost within Yue State's borders or for the clues to be controlled by your state, subjected to external manipulation?"
"Oh no... Have you lost your mind?!"
Seeing Jiang Boqing's body explode into fragments, turning into a shower of flesh and blood, Qing Jifang was momentarily shocked. He hastily stowed the pearl and was about to make an attempt to escape into the void.
Clang—
From the shattered body emerged a wisp of golden light, seemingly with eyes, which rushed toward the Purple Mansion Realm cultivator with great speed. In an instant, the light blazed brightly, causing thousands of frogs to croak in unison and rivers to surge.
Qing Jifang was filled with disbelief as the golden light collided with his body, the void around them sealed by the metallic essence. He could only manage to let out a final cry, "You are throwing your life away!"
————
In the eleventh lunar month...
The snow on Mount Wutu was thick and white, covering the stone table with snowflakes, and the rocks in the courtyard were also blanketed in white. A young man in fine clothes and a white fur coat reclined on a redwood chair, silently holding a jade cup between two fingers.
"Zhi'er."
A woman with thin eyebrows and phoenix eyes, dressed in red, spoke warmly, her expression showing signs of fatigue.
"Have you packed?"
"Yes..." Li Xizhi responded softly, adding, "What about Father?"
"Your father has gone to Lijing Town. The Immortal Master is coming, and there are many things to prepare. A carriage will come to fetch you soon," Xiao Guiluan explained softly, observing her son's disappointment.
She attempted to comfort Li Xizhi, but the boy's expression did not change. He focused his gaze on the cup in his hand, speaking in a low voice, "Qingsui Peak is sparsely populated, with only an empty reputation. As the senior brother of the peak, I am afraid there will be endless troubles in the future."
While his words explained his worries, his heart was filled with bitterness which he did not dare to share with his mother.
Hearing that Yuan Tuan was coming, Li Yuanjiao finally showed his eldest son the clan's internal records. Li Xizhi read the book all night, his expression changing several times.
The entanglements between Chi Wei, Chi Zhiyun, and Yuanwu Peak and Li Chejing's tragic end, filled his heart with anguish, leaving him silent and troubled as he thought to himself, So many entanglements within the sect... With this reputation, I am afraid I will become a pawn in their struggles.
He silently gripped the sword at his waist, set down the jade cup, and responded, "Once I join the sect, I will do my utmost."