Hearing this, everyone winced slightly.
Morbas was a master swordsman of the Western Regions with an ancestral heritage and cultivation that had attained the Xiantian realm. Even Liu Wuchen had to treat him with utmost seriousness; he was an expert who had forged a name for himself even on the turf of the Tianshan Sect.
Yet in the singing man's telling, such a formidable expert had been slain as easily as any ordinary man.
Of course, he had no idea just how powerful Morbas truly was. From his vantage point, Sun Wenzhu had merely stepped in and out, and Morbas was dead.
The truly terrifying one, of course, was Sun Wenzhu!
The way everyone looked at Sun Wenzhu shifted completely.
In the common knowledge of the jianghu, Xiantian experts far surpassed those of the Houtian realm. Whether in internal force, martial prowess, or realm comprehension, they stood head and shoulders above the rest. Barring veteran masters with decades of accumulated cultivation or young prodigies blessed with profound heritage and quick wit, it was impossible for an ordinary martial artist to defeat a Xiantian expert.
Even standard poisons were thirty percent less effective against Xiantian masters, and most could be suppressed by their Xiantian true qi, further reducing the potency by another thirty percent.
Yet Sun Wenzhu was plainly not a Xiantian expert, and still Morbas had perished before the contempt could even leave his face.
Sun Wenzhu naturally noticed their stares, but paid them no mind. He merely looked at Xu Hao, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Is my master doing well?"
Xu Hao replied at once, "Martial Uncle Mu is well, but he misses you, Senior Brother, and often sighs."
Sun Wenzhu's eyes darkened, and he lapsed into silence.
Xu Hao could not help asking, "Senior Brother, what exactly happened between you and the Valley Master?"
"How do you know something happened between the Valley Master and me?" Sun Wenzhu snapped his head up. "You know I met with him?"
Startled by Sun Wenzhu's intense reaction, Xu Hao stammered, "That night, I went to Half-Moon Cliff to water the moon grass, and I saw you and the Valley Master talking on the cliff—"
Sun Wenzhu stared hard at him. "Did you tell anyone else about this?"
Xu Hao shook his head frantically. "No!"
Sun Wenzhu drew a deep breath and reprimanded in a low voice, "Bury this in your belly and let it rot! Never mention it to anyone in the valley—especially Shangguan Tusu!"
Xu Hao was struck dumb, having no idea why Sun Wenzhu was so on edge. And Shangguan Tusu was none other than the current Valley Master of Huichun Valley—the man who had concocted the Three Sages Pill, ascended to Xiantian Grandmaster in a single leap, and far surpassed all past generations of patriarchs.
After saying this, Sun Wenzhu swept his eyes over the crowd.
Xu Hao had lacked discretion, and Sun Wenzhu had also lost his composure for an instant, betraying the gravity of the matter. Quite a few people had overheard the martial brothers' exchange.
Duan Wei and Gongsun Yi, who were standing closest to them, immediately shuffled backward. "We didn't hear a thing!"
To the disciples of the Seven Great Sword Sects, the name Shangguan Tusu naturally resonated like thunder.
Huichun Valley was an illustrious sect in the Central Plains. Its divine physicians brought the dying back to life, and the valley enjoyed excellent relations with all the major sects of the Central Plains. The Bashan and Mushan Sects were geographically closest to Huichun Valley, and both Liu Wuchen and Shen Zhijun had met Valley Master Shangguan in person.
By all logic, Sun Wenzhu was kind in character and capable of poisoning a Xiantian expert to death. In every way, he was an exceptional disciple of Huichun Valley who should have been treasured and nurtured, quite possibly in line to lead the sect in the future.
Yet he had betrayed Huichun Valley, fled far into the Western Regions, and relied on his own means to collect spiritual herbs. Clearly, some undisclosed conflict had erupted between him and Shangguan Tusu.
Judging by Sun Wenzhu's panicked state, the secret had to be momentous. If it leaked, Shangguan Tusu might even silence Xu Hao by killing him.
Though dying of curiosity, Liu Wuchen spoke up nonetheless: "This is Huichun Valley's private affair. It is not our place to meddle."
Even as he spoke, Liu Wuchen kept a vigilant eye on Sun Wenzhu's hands.
Sun Wenzhu paused for a moment before finally saying, "Junior Brother Xu knows nothing. For the sake of our acquaintance, I ask you all to forget what he just said. I would be immensely grateful."
Having finished comforting the singing father and daughter, Leng Jiangzhu turned back to look at Sun Wenzhu. The cold detachment in her eyes suddenly thawed. "What secret are you keeping bottled up inside? If you speak it, perhaps we can help you."
Sun Wenzhu lowered his eyes. "No one can help me, nor do I need help."
Leng Jiangzhu hesitated, but after a moment's thought, refrained from pressing further.
Sun Wenzhu then asked what had brought Xu Hao to the Western Regions. Learning that the four horses he had taken from Liefeng Fort belonged to Gongsun Yi, he returned the prized steeds.
Gongsun Yi waved his hands repeatedly in refusal.
Was he joking? Sweat-blood horses were precious, but they could never compare to the friendship of an expert capable of poisoning a Xiantian master. If giving them up could forge a friendship with Sun Wenzhu, it was a tremendous bargain.
"I cannot afford to keep your horses, and letting that father and daughter ride them off would only bring them trouble," Sun Wenzhu said, shaking his head. "I merely took these four horses for temporary use, intending to abandon them once I was done. Returning them to their rightful owner now brings things to a proper conclusion."
Only then did Gongsun Yi accept them.
Early the next morning, Duan Wei, Gongsun Yi, and Xu Hao rode off on their return journey.
Sun Wenzhu first saw off the singing father and daughter, then pulled Xu Hao aside. The two spoke in hushed tones for quite a while; Xu Hao nodded repeatedly, then waved his farewell.
Seeing Sun Wenzhu gaze southward for a long while, Leng Jiangzhu stepped forward to invite him: "We are heading to Mount Tianshan for the sword matches. If it's along your way, let us travel together."
Sun Wenzhu shook his head. "It is not along my way."
"It's not that it isn't along his way, but that he doesn't want it to be," Wang Yu suddenly interjected from the side. "You are going to Mount Tianshan to pay respects, celebrate a birthday, and compete in sword matches—you are friends of the Tianshan Sect. He is going there to harvest a snow lotus, which might well offend them. Naturally, it's not the same way."
Sun Wenzhu turned sharply.
Leng Jiangzhu couldn't help asking, "How do you know that?"
Wang Yu said as though it were obvious, "He acquired Seven-Star Huang and Golden-Leaf Aconite at Xingxiu Sea, and Three-Leaf Dragon Whisker Ginseng in Kucha. Clearly, he's been searching for spiritual herbs and poisonous plants all along the way. In the domain of Mount Tianshan, what spiritual medicine is the most famous?"
Leng Jiangzhu realized at once. "The Tianshan snow lotus, of course!"
Mount Tianshan stretched for thousands of li. In principle, snow lotuses could grow on any peak rising over ten thousand feet, but other areas were either completely deserted or perilous beyond measure. The place where snow lotuses were truly most likely to be found was the area within dozens of li around Lingxiao Peak.
And that territory belonged strictly to the Tianshan Sect; its main peak, Lingxiao Peak, was a forbidden ground where outsiders were never permitted.
Thus, the Tianshan snow lotus was effectively an exclusive treasure of the Tianshan Sect. Every snow lotus that bloomed within a hundred li of Lingxiao Peak was considered their property. Within that range, even if you found it first, the Tianshan Sect would seize it the moment they learned of it.
This was the origin of the rumors regarding the Tianshan Sect's domineering nature.
If Sun Wenzhu wanted a Tianshan snow lotus, he either had to brave freezing gales and icy blizzards, spending endless days gambling on blind luck deep in the thousands of li of the Tianshan range, or search around Lingxiao Peak.
Although the Tianshan snow lotus was an exceedingly rare treasure, two or three would still bloom each year around Lingxiao Peak.
Of course, blooming did not guarantee a harvest. Most people only ever saw the withered stalks left behind, because the snow lotus's blooming period lasted a mere ten days a year. It had to be plucked within those ten days and preserved with specialized techniques to retain its medicinal potency for consumption or pill refinement.
In the sixty-odd years since the Tianshan Sect established itself on Lingxiao Peak, they had actually gathered fewer than thirty snow lotuses. Between what they had consumed and gifted over the years, their remaining stock likely did not exceed ten.
Sun Wenzhu did not believe he possessed the stature to receive a snow lotus as a gift from the Tianshan Sect, so his only option was to search for one himself, harvest it, and slip away before they discovered him.
Leng Jiangzhu looked toward Sun Wenzhu. "Is that how it is?"
Sun Wenzhu offered no answer. Leng Jiangzhu considered for a moment. "Although the Tianshan Sect guards the snow lotuses jealously as their private domain, they are not completely unreasonable. If you have an imperative need for one, they might actually bestow it upon you. Years ago, the chief of the Beggar Gang fought Old Ancestor Liehuo for three days and three nights, ultimately striking him dead beneath his palms, but he was severely afflicted with fire poison. When four elders ascended Mount Tianshan to plead for medicine, Senior Ye personally came forward to grant them one."
Sun Wenzhu shook his head. "I am not the chief of the Beggar Gang, nor have I rid the martial realm of a great menace."
Wang Yu asked, "From what I've seen, you usually trade medical treatment for spiritual herbs. Why are you planning to sneak around plucking herbs when it comes to the Tianshan Sect?"
Sun Wenzhu said indifferently, "Tianshan snow lotuses simply grow in the wild on Mount Tianshan. They weren't planted by the Tianshan Sect. Why shouldn't I pick them?"
Leng Jiangzhu said, "The Tianshan Sect won't reason with you."
Sun Wenzhu replied, "I wasn't planning on reasoning with them anyway."
Wang Yu chuckled. "Still, the Tianshan Sect is powerful, so you should adapt when adaptation is called for. You harbor a great secret and need to preserve your life for something worthwhile. Wouldn't it be senseless to die on Mount Tianshan?"
Sun Wenzhu glared at Wang Yu.
Wang Yu grinned. "Glaring at me won't help. You gave it away yourself."
Sun Wenzhu said nothing. Gathering his large bundle, he prepared to depart.
Wang Yu asked curiously, "Are the Seven-Star Huang, Golden-Leaf Aconite, and Three-Leaf Dragon Whisker Ginseng inside?"
Sun Wenzhu turned back. "Do you want them?"
Wang Yu nodded. "I do."
Sun Wenzhu was indeed sharp to have sensed Wang Yu coveting his spiritual herbs, but Wang Yu's frank admission genuinely surprised him.
Then he heard Wang Yu change the subject: "Do you know how to refine pills and concoct medicines?"
Sun Wenzhu answered coolly, "I hail from Huichun Valley."
Wang Yu nodded. "In that case, why don't you at least give it a try? Who knows, maybe the Tianshan Sect has a need for medical treatment or pill refinement. If you help them unlock the full medicinal potency of a Tianshan snow lotus and trade your services for one, wouldn't that work? In the immortal storybooks I've read, alchemists are the most respected profession. Whenever someone asks an alchemist to purge pill toxins or boost their cultivation, they always offer two sets of ingredients—one to refine the pill, and one as an offering to the alchemist. If the Tianshan Sect agrees, everyone is happy. If they refuse, it won't be too late to search the surrounding area. You won't be wasting much time either way."
Sun Wenzhu was left somewhat dazed by Wang Yu's words; he had never heard of such a thing.
Hearing this, Leng Jiangzhu could not help but nod. She said to Sun Wenzhu, "Indeed. I can bring you up the mountain."
Sun Wenzhu thought it over and agreed. Facing Leng Jiangzhu, he said, "Then my thanks to you, Lady Leng."
With that, Sun Wenzhu turned back to Wang Yu. "May I ask what that storybook you read was called? If I am ever fortunate enough to return to the Central Plains, I would like to read it as well."
Wang Yu: "6..."
Chapter 73