The expression on Cui Chengxiao's face was a sight to behold. For a moment, he had no idea how to reply. Only with great effort did he come back to his senses, a rush of scalding fury surging straight to the crown of his head. Gritting his teeth, he said, "You... How dare you!"
After his initial bout of rage passed, he looked closely at the cyan-robed cultivator seated high in the hall and finally recognized him as Zhang Sheng. As a Scenery Command expert sent to oversee the city's construction, Cui Chengxiao had naturally done his homework beforehand and was familiar with Qingming's key figures.
Killing intent flared around Cui Chengxiao. Pointing a finger at Zhang Sheng, he barked, "Zhang Sheng! How dare you toy with me like this! Even if your patriarch were standing right here today, he would still have to give me an explanation!"
Zhang Sheng did not even lift his eyelids. "Patriarch, he wants an explanation from you."
From behind the hall stepped Xuanyue, carrying a jade platter laden with crystal-clear, finger-sized immortal fruits.
With one hand resting behind his back and the other balancing the platter, Xuanyue cast an indifferent glance at Cui Chengxiao and said dismissively, "I could effortlessly take two fellows of this sort on at once. What explanation could I possibly owe him?"
Cui Chengxiao had never imagined that Xuanyue would actually be in Qingming. By all accounts, the pressure at the Palace of Grand Beginning's Northern Mountain Gate was immense. Shouldn't Xuanyue have been permanently stationed there?
Yet Cui Chengxiao had already boasted aloud, and now found himself in an awkward bind. Xuanyue's retort had been exceedingly blunt, refusing to grant him an ounce of face—yet it was the unvarnished truth, at least within Qingming.
Now, responding to Xuanyue's words seemed as fraught as ignoring them. Answering back would undoubtedly force a fight. And here in Qingming, even if their inherent cultivation had been matched, Cui Chengxiao would surely suffer defeat. What was more, Cui Chengxiao knew he was half a step beneath True Monarch Xuanyue to begin with.
His gaze drifted to the jade platter resting in Xuanyue's hand. The platter was certainly no mundane object. Awakened by the hall's ambient qi, it continually radiated a tri-colored immortal radiance. While three colors marked only the threshold of immortal light, even the threshold was still an immortal glow. When had Xuanyue come into possession of an immortal artifact? It was widely known that Perfected Person Xuanyue was as poor as a church mouse, possessing not a single decent treasure to speak of, sometimes even having to make do with dharma idol-grade artifacts.
Could it be that his ascension to immortality was imminent, prompting the Palace of Grand Beginning to unseal its vault and splurge on an immortal artifact for him?
How could he possibly fight now?
Still refusing to drop his haughty airs, Cui Chengxiao snorted and said in a measured tone, "My Cui family's flying boat was attacked by Qingming without provocation. With both witnesses and material evidence present, I have come specifically to seek justice! Even if Brother Xuanyue's Dao arts reach the heavens, you must still abide by reason, surely?"
Upon hearing this, Xuanyue burst into laughter. "This old Daoist doesn't have the word 'reason' in his head—only loyalty to my kin! If you want an explanation, this is mine. As for the rest of those messy details, take them up with my grand-disciple."
Cui Chengxiao was quick on his feet and realized that the best counter right now was silence; every extra word would only cost him face. Thus, his face turned cold as still water as he stood rigidly without a word. Yet holding back under such circumstances was no easy feat, and the bizarre glances settling upon him made his blood boil.
Xuanyue paced a circle, but seeing Cui Chengxiao offer no reaction, his planned follow-ups fell flat. Furthermore, Song Cui and Qingming were ostensibly cooperating, and Song Cui possessed immortals of its own. On top of that, Xuanyue had always been someone who responded to gentle approaches rather than force. Since Cui Chengxiao was practically ready to wipe the spit off his own face and swallow the insult, Xuanyue felt awkward pushing matters too far, leaving him only able to deliver a few sarcastic remarks.
Still, when it came to snide sarcasm, True Monarch Xuanyue considered himself an expert; he merely wondered if Zhang Sheng could catch the pass.
With that, Xuanyue addressed Zhang Sheng: "I must be off. If anyone dares bully the small in the future, remember to invoke my name."
Zhang Sheng asked, "What if your disciple isn't in the right?"
Xuanyue replied, "Then can't you switch to an argument where you are? There's always one angle that holds water."
"For example... someone cast a glance at me with eyes full of supreme disrespect?"
"Precisely!"
"This disciple has learned well."
"Then I shall take my leave. If I am not at the Northern Mountain Gate, many folks won't dare jump around as they please, and where would be the fun in that?"
Zhang Sheng immediately stood up and bowed. "Respectfully sending off the patriarch!"
Xuanyue froze in astonishment. "I wasn't actually planning to leave yet! Why the rush to chase me out?"
"With you here, Patriarch, many people won't dare jump around, which is dreadfully dull."
"Fine, fine, fine, I'm going!" Xuanyue snorted and swept his sleeves, stalking away.
A fresh wave of scalding fury rushed into Cui Chengxiao's head. Whom were those two trying to mock with that insincere routine? Such clumsy acting was truly sickening!
Yet clumsy as the act had been, their martial prowess was undeniably genuine, and this was their territory. Their advantage was so overwhelming that Cui Chengxiao did not even dare jeer.
* * *
Returning behind the hall, Xuanyue found Baoyun waiting in the garden, clad in plain watery-hued robes with an immortal sash draped over her arm.
Xuanyue walked over and offered the jade platter, saying, "Borrowing your immortal artifact really made that fellow swallow his pride! Hahaha! Today was thoroughly satisfying. I shall remember this favor!"
Baoyun did not take it back. Instead, she said, "This object is merely pretty to look at; it has little practical use beyond the raw value of its materials. Patriarch might as well carry it along to fiddle with. Three of the platter's immortal fruits can restore mana to full, making them sacred treasures for combat and exceedingly suited to Patriarch's needs."
Xuanyue was taken aback. "You mean to gift them to me? How could that be acceptable?! What would I look like if I took your things?"
Covering her mouth, Baoyun let out a soft laugh. "At the end of the day, it is nothing more than a plaything and a batch of fruits that cannot be stored for long. Consider it a token of filial respect from this junior. Since you have already offered to remember the favor, you might as well remember a slightly larger one and let me take a little advantage of you."
Now Xuanyue found himself in an awkward spot where refusing would seem petty. Pondering left and right, he sighed deeply. "These fruits are indeed of use to me, so I shall accept them. The favor I owe you stands as promised. Also, when you have time, pass a word to Bao Manshan—that ambush he pulled on me back then, we'll let it slide."
Baoyun looked slightly surprised, but a smile soon spread across her face. Her eyes curved into crescents, gleaming with cleverness like a sprightly hare. She bowed politely, saying in a sweet tone, "Then I shall thank Patriarch on behalf of my ancestral grandfather."
Xuanyue nodded, leaped into the air, and flew toward the Northern Mountain Gate. Only once he had traveled a great distance did he click his tongue in self-reproach. "How could I just let it slide like that when I was just about to free up my hands to give him a thrashing?"
"I've recently mastered two formidable divine abilities. Wouldn't dealing with a mere Bao Manshan be as easy as turning over my palm? Sigh, how could I let it slide! I truly fell for that little girl's trick! Sigh, I shouldn't have craved those few fruits."
Xuanyue sighed all the way, though deep down he knew that while the immortal fruits were precious, what he truly fancied was that platter. Though not particularly useful, it looked magnificent. When he had strode forth bearing it, even the formidable Cui Chengxiao had been cowed into submission. The sheer pleasure of that moment had surpassed even beating Cui Chengxiao to a pulp.
* * *
Once Xuanyue left, Cui Chengxiao's momentum surged once more.
Still, he cared about his dignity; he could hardly start strutting the moment a powerful foe withdrew. Word getting out would ruin his reputation. Besides, what if Xuanyue returned?
With a sullen expression, Cui Chengxiao said, "Qingming attacked my Cui family's transport vessel without cause, and the evidence is ironclad! You must give me an explanation for this!"
Zhang Sheng replied indifferently, "Our Qingming was conducting a test launch of a new flying sword when your vessel suddenly appeared, crashing into our flying sword without provocation and making off with our newest blade. Indeed, an explanation is owed to me for this matter."
Cui Chengxiao lost count of how many times fury had rushed to his head today. Hearing Zhang Sheng's claim, he was rendered utterly speechless for a moment! In the end, only a string of choked words escaped his mouth: "Good, good, good! Very well!"
Zhang Sheng continued, "Though a single flying sword isn't worth much, this test was of grave importance, prepared by thousands of people over more than half a year. Repeating it will cost an enormous sum, requiring at least a hundred thousand Qingyuan. Since Elder Cui has acknowledged the matter, when will you send over the payment?"
"When did I ever acknowledge it?!" Cui Chengxiao could no longer suppress his murderous urge, on the verge of striking right then and there, even if Xuanyue were to return.
Right at that moment, Zhang Sheng gently tapped the tabletop with his finger three times. With each tap, Cui Chengxiao's aura plummeted sharply—dropping three times in succession!
After the third drop, Cui Chengxiao felt as though a burden of a thousand jin had been loaded onto his shoulders. His aura was forcibly suppressed by twenty percent, leaving him able to draw upon only eighty percent of his full strength.
Cui Chengxiao was both shocked and enraged. He wondered inwardly: Shouldn't Qingming be in an ownerless state right now? How could Zhang Sheng also mobilize the realm's domain power? And how could the suppression be this overbearing?
He was a grand cultivator on the verge of the peak Scenery Command stage, yet his strength had been suppressed by twenty percent. It was fortunate he had not clashed with Xuanyue earlier; otherwise, with the domain working against him, he would have suffered a devastating defeat.
"Why must Elder Cui be so angry? Let us talk things through calmly."
Cui Chengxiao took a deep breath. "If you want to talk properly, then do not invert black and white! That my Cui family's flying boat was shot down and damaged without cause is an undeniable fact!"
Unruffled in the slightest, Zhang Sheng said placidly, "Was the location where your vessel suffered damage within Qingming's borders? Before passing through Qingming, did you file a report with me?"
Cui Chengxiao froze, then snorted. "Building a city naturally requires flying boats; this is common sense! We are busy with construction, with vessels going to and fro. How could we possibly report every single crossing?"
Zhang Sheng said indifferently, "Did you lack the time to report, or do you fancy yourselves members of a prestigious clan who can traverse Qingming at will?"
Cui Chengxiao fell silent. Strictly speaking, the Cui family was indeed in the wrong on this count. Moreover, Cui Chengxiao had assumed Wei Yuan would likely never return, and since Cui Yu was present in Qingming, he had felt awkward meeting him and thus had not instructed anyone to notify the realm.
Without his explicit orders, his subordinates had naturally put on the full airs of a prominent clan, sending flying boats crisscrossing Qingming again and again. To save effort, their routes had drifted closer and closer to the immortal city.
Though this was the reality, Cui Chengxiao could never admit it, lest it tarnish their reputation. Frowning slightly, he said, "This matter was indeed an oversight on the part of my subordinates. Hereafter, I shall issue a monthly notification detailing how many flying boats will cross the border. But you must hand over the person who fired that sword for me to deal with!"
Zhang Sheng smiled faintly. "Did I not say at the start: who in the hall dares accuse this magistrate? Elder Cui wants me to surrender myself to your disposal? I fear you are daydreaming."
Cui Chengxiao's face darkened, and he asked coldly, "So you did it on purpose?"
Zhang Sheng's expression darkened as well as he replied impassively, "It was your flying boat that deliberately rammed my flying sword. If Elder Cui does not wish to pay compensation, that is fine too. Henceforth, every crossing by a flying boat must be reported ten days in advance, and you may only pass once I approve it. If no prior notice is given, then I guarantee your vessels will not remain safe."
Chapter 920