Feng Jiuxuan

"The Qionghua secret realm?" Xu Yinhe sat upright in the head seat. Accompanied by the patter of rain outside, Xu Yuan nodded. "It seems you already know, Father." "Lou Ji has informed me of the matter." Xu Yinhe spoke in an unhurried tone. Anything concerning a secret realm was brought before him as quickly as possible. Seeing this, Xu Yuan asked, "Then have you already dispatched people to survey it?" "No." To this question, Xu Yinhe gave a direct, negative answer. Xu Yuan was slightly surprised. "Why?" "The risk is disproportionate to the gain." Xu Yinhe answered bluntly, "Lou Ji reported that there are second-rank spirit puppets inside, and the formations are still operational." Xu Yuan could not quite understand his father's reasoning. At that moment, Xu Changge glanced at him and remarked coolly, "That secret realm has existed for far too long. Besides, the only thing of real value within it—the Meishen cherry tree—has already been cut down by you two." "..." Xu Yuan froze for an instant, inwardly cursing that old woman before speaking up. "Twenty thousand years is indeed a long time, but when I entered earlier, the fundamental formations were still maintained, and there were even lingering spirit puppets. The sect gates and grounds are essentially intact." "So what if they are intact?" Xu Changge took a sip of tea. "You have never dealt with secret realms before, so there is much you do not understand." "..." *If you don't teach me, how would I understand?* Suppressing the urge to plant a fist right into his elder brother's face, Xu Yuan rolled his eyes. Still, since Xu Changge said so, the Chancellor's Manor likely already possessed a comprehensive set of methods for assessing and developing such secret realms. Just then, Xu Yinhe gently set down his teacup and asked a crucial question: "Changtian, from what you are saying, did this Qionghua secret realm never endure the ravages of war?" Subduing his inner dissatisfaction, Xu Yuan thought for a moment. "Yes. The destruction of the Qionghua Sect was entirely an accident." Xu Yinhe tapped his fingers lightly on the desk. "That is somewhat of a pity. An intact secret realm is rare to come by, yet it has simply been too long." His father offered the same assessment as Xu Changge, but beyond that, Xu Yinhe added: "In an ancient secret realm like this, the levitation stones used in its creation lost their stability long ago. Every time we enter, the space undergoes a tremor. "In other words, we have no way of knowing when it will completely collapse. Furthermore, even if the mountain grounds remain whole, time will have corroded all the materials, spirit herb gardens, and similar resources. Even if we go in and clear out those spirit puppets and formations, the most we could gather would be some outdated manuals and techniques." "..." Upon hearing his father's explanation, Xu Yuan finally understood. Time was a butcher's blade, treating people and objects with equal mercilessness. Ten-thousand-year spirit herbs and ten-thousand-year pills existed only in storybooks in this world. While many medicinal herbs did indeed possess long growth cycles, they could at most take twenty-odd years before being harvested for medicine. A century-old herb was already the absolute limit; anything beyond that would merely rot in the soil. The pills, equipment, and artifacts stored in the storehouses of ancient sects followed the same principle. Although some secret realms had dedicated spirit puppets and formations to maintain their stock, greatly delaying the onset of decay, twenty thousand years was simply far too long. What little was left in the Qionghua Sect's secret realm might be an astronomical windfall for an individual, but for a colossus like the Chancellor's Manor, it was nothing more than a chicken rib—scant reward for the trouble. The rain pattered outside, and silence fell over the main hall for a time. Xu Yuan certainly possessed knowledge of secret realms that met the manor's needs—roughly a dozen or so drifted through his mind. *Ahem.* But on the journey north back to the capital, after that living treasure-detector, the big ice block, parted ways with him, his own outrageously abysmal luck meant he could never find them even if he knew their general locations. If he had never been there, how could he bring them up? He could hardly say: *Dad, I feel like there's a secret realm over that way. Why don't you send some people to look for it?* Seeing Xu Yuan sink into silence, Xu Yinhe consoled him softly, "Since you brought up the matter, Changtian, tell me more about this Qionghua Sect. I have never heard of it before." "You don't know of the Qionghua Sect?" A hint of amusement touched Xu Yinhe's sharp eyes as he looked at Xu Yuan. "I may indeed know a great deal, but there are just as many things in this world that I do not know." "..." Xu Yuan gave an awkward smile. Habitual thinking had led him to assume that the Chancellor's Manor would naturally have some record of the once-glorious Qionghua Sect, forgetting that it had flourished twenty thousand years ago. Through tens of thousands of years, seas transformed into mulberry fields; time was capable of wearing away countless things. The people and events of the Qionghua Sect's era had long vanished into the river of time. After a brief pause, Xu Yuan quietly recounted the general circumstances of the Qionghua Sect. A dual-cultivation sect, it had risen to prominence by using the Meishen Dao Charm of the Meishen cherry tree to foster a generation of powerhouses, along with what items roughly remained inside. Xu Yinhe listened intently. After a moment's contemplation, he asked, "In that case, what was that about the Sumeru rings you mentioned earlier?" Xu Yuan answered without hesitation, "Many powerhouses perished in the Qionghua secret realm. Back then, more than half of the world's experts died within it, so there should be a great many lingering Sumeru rings." "Oh?" Xu Yinhe narrowed his eyes slightly, not pressing for the underlying details. How things had unfolded twenty thousand years ago did not matter to the Chancellor's Manor; what mattered was whether these surviving remnants could bring them profit. Observing Xu Yinhe's expression, Xu Yuan probed, "After twenty thousand years, shouldn't the formations carved into those Sumeru rings have decayed?" He had previously discussed the matter of Sumeru rings with Xu Xinyao. Sumeru rings were exceedingly rare for three reasons: first, they required the assistance of a Saint; second, they required array masters; and third, the sects of the past had mined levitation stones without restraint to build secret realms for themselves, driving the material to near extinction in the world today. The first two issues could be overcome, but the third was a dead end. Xu Xinyao had even remarked that in another few thousand years, such things as Sumeru rings might cease to exist entirely. Xu Yinhe did not reply immediately, instead glancing sideways at Xu Changge. Understanding his father's intent, Xu Changge took out a Heavenly Communication Crystal and initiated contact with Jiang He of the Gewu Academy. A moment later, the old man Jiang He's voice sounded in the room, dripping with dissatisfaction: "Xu Changge, you brat, spit it out if you have something to say! My Heaven-Slaying Grand Array just made some progress..." The instant he heard 'Heaven-Slaying Grand Array,' Xu Changge's face darkened. "Jiang He," Xu Yinhe's voice rang out. "..." Jiang He went silent. Xu Yinhe spoke unhurriedly, his words carrying an effortless authority. "If I recall correctly, I had already ordered that array suspended." With that, he cast a calm glance at his eldest son. Dead silence followed. Xu Changge promptly lowered his gaze, playing dead. Witnessing this, Xu Yuan chuckled aloud from the side. Hearing the chuckle, Xu Changge shot Xu Yuan a chilly glare. "..." The old man on the other end remained quiet for a long while before giving a light cough and laughing somewhat awkwardly. "Ahem, that... a slip of the tongue, just a slip of the tongue! It's a new type of crossbow array engraving, nearly ready for mass production." Xu Yinhe exhaled, letting the matter slide. "I contacted you this time to ask you something." Jiang He's aged voice took on a trace of flattery; after all, Hua Hong had just allocated funds to him. "Ah, Lord Chancellor, please ask. I shall tell you everything I know." "There is a batch of Sumeru rings from twenty thousand years ago. Is there any way to repair them?" "Twenty thousand years ago?!" Jiang He's voice pitched up, followed by a sharp intake of breath. "How many?" Xu Yinhe did not answer, turning his gaze toward Xu Yuan instead. Seeing this, Xu Yuan made a rough estimation and said somewhat tentatively, "Roughly... several dozen?" According to the lingering memories in his mind, and considering the world's reserves of levitation stones twenty thousand years ago, there should have been around a hundred Sumeru rings scattered across the Qionghua secret realm. However, when Yuchu had unleashed the Meishen secret art, those people had not all been clustered in one place. Being able to recover several dozen would already be the absolute best-case scenario. "Several dozen?!" Jiang He's voice rose once more. Realizing his lack of composure, he cleared his throat. "It seems Lord Chancellor has struck a massive fortune. My Gewu Academy's reserves of levitation stones are nearly dry. Several dozen Sumeru rings... Well, hehehe..." "..." The meaning was abundantly clear: they could be fixed, but it would cost more. Neither the father nor his two sons paid any mind to the old man's request for money. Xu Yuan lacked the authority. Xu Changge had just been caught red-handed and dared not make a sound. As for Xu Yinhe, he had no desire to indulge his insatiable old friend. Seeing no response from the other end, Jiang He's tone grew slightly impatient. "Fine, fine, fine. We should be able to restore some of them. If it really doesn't work, melting them down and reforging should yield a few new ones as well. How soon can you deliver them?" Pausing, Jiang He adopted a mocking lilt. "Zong Qingsheng's people have already come to the Gewu Academy several times to collect military gear. The war on the Northern Border must not be going smoothly, eh?" Hearing this taunt, Xu Yuan sighed inwardly. As Xinyao's master, Jiang He was also a man who loathed warfare. A common ailment among scientists, so to speak. Unlike Xu Xinyao, however, the old man was very lucid; he understood that prolonged agony was worse than a swift blow. Thus, he had continuously developed new weaponry for the Chancellor's Manor. Even the militarization of the spirit-blocking slime Xu Xinyao had developed previously had been spearheaded by him. Xu Yinhe did not answer Jiang He's question directly, stating only, "The Sumeru rings will be delivered to you within a month. How long will it take to repair them?" Jiang He did not commit immediately either. "That depends on the damage to the array engravings on the rings and the stability of the levitation stones." "I will give you a ten-day span." "A ten-day span?" Jiang He snorted. "Xu Yinhe, do you think Sumeru rings grow on trees? This is several dozen..." "Changge will allocate an additional five million taels to your Gewu Academy as research funding." "Deal!" Jiang He performed a complete about-face, his voice turning jovial. "I'll have my people start preparing the repair materials today." With business concluded, Jiang He did not seem inclined to hang up. Instead, he asked rather coldly, "Xu Changtian, I heard you ran into that girl Xinyao on your way?" Xu Yuan smiled and responded, "Yes, I ran into her." Hearing this, Jiang He's tone remained aloof. "How has she been doing lately?" "Alright, I suppose," Xu Yuan said ambiguously. "What do you mean, 'alright'?" Jiang He sounded displeased. Due to Xu Yuan's conduct in the imperial capital, many high-ranking figures within the Chancellor's Manor found him intolerable, and Jiang He disliked him most of all. Xu Yuan loved to pick on Xu Xinyao, and since Jiang He had no children of his own, he treasured his well-behaved disciple above all else. Whenever Xu Xinyao was wronged and Jiang He found out, he would come storming in to demand an explanation. Naturally, in such situations, he was usually fended off by that old auntie Lou Ji. After all, this old man struck far more ruthlessly than Xu Changge. Recalling this, Xu Yuan's voice took on an amused lilt. "Ah? Surely not? Has Xinyao really not reached out to you all this time? She even took the initiative to come find me in Jingjiang Prefecture earlier." "..." Jiang He. The transmission was furiously cut off from the other side. A hush fell over the main hall once more. Collecting his thoughts, Xu Yuan looked toward Xu Yinhe, who sat in the head seat deep in contemplation, and asked, "Father, a month's time might not be enough, right?" The Guanyin Mountain Range, where the Qionghua secret realm was situated, lay near the Wanxing Mountain Range in the southwest. A round trip would take at least two months. A rare, complex expression flickered in Xu Yinhe's eyes. "Time is of the essence. I intend to have your maternal uncle go." Xu Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly. His maternal uncle, Feng Jiuxuan—the Sword Saint. Xu Changge hesitated upon hearing this and asked, "Is Uncle willing to go?" His other younger siblings had been too young to understand, but he remembered clearly. Because of their mother's passing, their uncle's relationship with their father was far from amicable. He had even stated outright that if Xu Yinhe ever betrayed their mother's aspirations, he would personally strike him down. Xu Yinhe remained silent for a moment before sighing. "The war on the Northern Border is pressing; we have no other choice." With that, Xu Yinhe slowly rose and looked toward a pavilion in the northwestern quarter of the Chancellor's Manor, with Xu Changge following his gaze. "..." After a thought, Xu Yuan also pretended to look in that direction. Yet the moment he looked over, father and son had already withdrawn their gazes. Xu Changge stood and bowed toward the entrance of the main hall. "Uncle." Only then did Xu Yuan snap back to reality and turn his head to look. The sky was gloomy, and the rain drizzled down. A figure in robes as white as snow had abruptly appeared inside the main hall. His features were chiseled and defined, with broad lotus patterns faintly visible upon his white attire. A white silk cord tied more than half of his ink-black hair into a high ponytail behind his head. Beneath willow-leaf brows, his dark eyes resembled pools of ink too thick to dilute, and he held the spirit sword Qingyuan in his hand. Merely standing there, he was almost impossible to look at directly—in a strictly physical sense. Time seemed to have left no mark upon him, leaving him like the gleaming edge of an unsheathed blade. Feng Jiuxuan cast a gentle gaze across Xu Changge and Xu Yuan. When his eyes fell upon Xu Yinhe in the head seat, however, his expression suddenly turned somewhat cold, and he uttered two words: "What is it?" Xu Yinhe remained seated, calmly meeting Feng Jiuxuan's gaze. "I need you to do something for me." Feng Jiuxuan did not speak. Xu Yinhe continued, "Changtian discovered a secret realm containing a large number of Sumeru rings. Time is short, so I can only trouble you." "Changtian..." Feng Jiuxuan murmured, slowly turning his gaze toward Xu Yuan, who remained seated. Yet the moment his gaze fell upon Xu Yuan, both Feng Jiuxuan and Xu Yinhe narrowed their eyes simultaneously. For the spirit sword Qingyuan was trembling.