A Conversation

Ying'er led Xu Yuan to a heavily guarded cluster of courtyards situated in the northwest of the residence. Xu Yuan was very familiar with this place. In the vast Jingjiang Xu Manor, this was the only area where, despite being a master, he had no authority to enter. Of course, that might also have something to do with his habit of always "borrowing" things from his own family to sell off. Xu Yuan figured that somewhere within this area lay something akin to a treasury, which was why they guarded against him, the Third Young Master, like a thief. In his memories, however, he had been inside before. His nominal father and Xu Changge would occasionally call him, and that "telephone" was located underground in this area. Yet calling it a phone call, what could an old man and his son really have to talk about? When communicating with Xu Changge, if things got heated, at least they could curse each other out a bit, but when speaking with his Chancellor father, there was no common language whatsoever. The contents of every conversation followed virtually the exact same template— "Father, you were looking for me." "Mm." Two sentences of silence. "How have you been lately?" "Alright." "Mm." "Mm." Then back to silence. The other end would ask something, he would answer something, and once the answer was given, both would lapse into silence together. Until the silence became utterly, completely awkward for both sides, whereupon the Imperial Capital would cut the connection without a word. To that father, calling him didn't necessarily mean there was any business; most of the time, he simply wanted to hear his voice. The underground chamber was vast and silent. In the immense room floated only a single spherical crystal orb midair. Yet if one extended their intent-soul to perceive it, they could sense the countless formation runes inscribed beneath the orb. This was the real-time communication device of this world. Xu Yuan stood silently before the crystal orb. He had already been here for two minutes. Following a brief exchange, both sides had been standing stiffly like this for nearly thirty seconds. Sure enough, things had ground to an awkward standstill once again. After quite a while, Xu Yuan's lips twitched, and he took the initiative to speak: "Um... I've reached the Eighth Rank." Two seconds of silence, then the crystal orb flickered with light. Then, a steady, middle-aged male voice drifted through, very calm—so calm that it seemed devoid of any emotional fluctuation: "Mm." Yet after speaking, the man seemed to realize his tone was overly flat, paused, and added: "Very good." "..." Perhaps influenced by his memories, upon hearing this, Xu Yuan let out an involuntary chuckle, catching himself and stopping immediately. Yet that chuckle must have carried across, as the crystal flashed and the voice came through: "I heard from Changge that your constitution is very good now?" Hearing this, Xu Yuan felt relieved and replied: "It's alright. Just a bit better than his—merely an Innate Dao Body." "..." Father Xu. After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan heard a faint exhale. The other side seemed to want to laugh, but held it in. When the voice came through again, it remained calm, tinged with a few words of instruction: "Being able to cultivate is a good thing. Increase your strength as quickly as possible. If you run out of the pills Changge gave you, you can ask the manor steward for more." Like Xu Changge, this father did not press about where Xu Yuan's constitution came from. For Xu Yinhe to rise from a commoner to wielding supreme power across Great Yan today, his fortuitous encounters along the way had naturally been countless. The boy was grown. If he wanted to speak of it, Xu Yinhe would watch his back and handle the fallout; if he didn't want to speak, he would let him be. Hearing this, Xu Yuan's eyes lit up, but after a second of contemplation, he said: "Cough... Father, the fact that I've cultivated so quickly is actually also thanks to Mister Zhou. His cultivation technique can assist my practice." He hadn't forgotten his promise to Zhou Chen. Though this was merely a sentence from him, for Zhou Chen, it could mean a vial of potion capable of advancing cultivation. Such matters were best not forgotten. The other end went silent for a moment before the voice sounded again: "Zhou Chen? The technique he cultivates indeed has that effect." "Mm," Xu Yuan affirmed. "Very good." A word of praise. Only it was hard to tell whether it was directed at Zhou Chen, or at Xu Yuan for getting Zhou Chen to assist him willingly. After a pause, the other end said: "I will arrange the matter regarding Zhou Chen." With that, the familiar silence returned. This time, however, the silence lasted less than ten seconds. Xu Yuan hesitated slightly, but spoke up anyway: "Father, what is the background of that Qin Weijiu?" "Hm?" Hearing this question, the other end voiced mild surprise and replied in a measured tone, "You are interested?" When speaking of this, that stern and steady voice clearly carried a faint trace of a smile. Si Ziyu and Ying'er had compiled and reported Xu Yuan's actions over these past days to Xu Yinhe in full detail. He was very pleased with how Xu Yuan had handled the Bewitching Soul Fiend Physique matter. Compared to his son's meager cultivation, putting his mind to good use on the right track was what truly gratified him. Xu Yuan replied as a matter of course, "Naturally. If my intent-soul weren't naturally condensed due to the Innate Soul Body, I might already be controlled by that vixen by now. Of course I care about it." That Qin Weijiu even knew of Burial Village; his origins could not be simple. If he, the junior, couldn't find out, the elder definitely had the means. Hearing this, the other end fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said: "Very well. Changge, tell your brother about Qin Weijiu." "..." Xu Yuan. Well then. No wonder the old man had sounded like he wanted to laugh earlier. It turned out Xu Changge had been eavesdropping the entire time. Utterly shameless! Imperial Capital, Chancellor's Manor, study. Tianyuan sandalwood incense, an imperial exclusive, drifted throughout the study. Wisps of gentle breeze blew into the room through the open window lattices, scattering the scent into every corner. The room was dead quiet. A crystal orb several times smaller than the one beneath Jingjiang Manor floated quietly in midair. An older man and a young man sat kneeling before a tea tray carved with dragons and phoenixes, savoring their tea and speaking slowly. The two shared similar facial features. The younger man was handsome, clad in an opulent cyan robe. The older man had graying temples and wore a black coiled-dragon robe. He was stern and dignified with an extraordinary bearing, especially his eyes, which sent a chill through anyone who looked at them. Yet at this moment, the middle-aged man's eyes held a rare, calm trace of a smile. Xu Changge raised his eyes to give his father a helpless look, then said softly toward the brother on the other end who had just boasted of having higher talent than him: "Qin Weijiu is no simple man. Over ten years ago, I traveled with him in Jiangnan Prefecture. When we first met..." "I know about that," the crystal orb suddenly interrupted. Xu Changge continued in a tranquil voice: "Thirteen years ago at the Tianyuan Conference, he and I..." "I know about that too," the crystal orb in midair interrupted once more. Xu Changge cast a silent glance at his father across from him. Seeing his father's expression unchanged, he held back his temper: "*Phew*... Qin Weijiu hails from the sects, born of a millennium clan..." "*Sigh*..." A sigh emerged from the crystal. "..." Xu Changge's fist tightened slightly. The crystal orb spoke with earnest gravity: "...Xu Changge, can you just get to the point?" "..." Xu Changge did not continue his tale, instead calling the other's name softly: "Xu Changtian." "Hm?" "Shut your mouth." "Heh, was I wrong? Aren't these things common knowledge under the heavens—" "In a little while, I have business that requires a trip to Jiuyuan City," Xu Changge remarked out of nowhere. "..." Xu Yuan froze upon hearing this, then instantly muted himself. Jiuyuan City was forty li in a straight line from Jingjiang Manor. "Hmph!" Seeing that Xu Yuan was quiet, Xu Changge gave a cold snort and began detailing Qin Weijiu's matters to his younger brother in a slow, measured voice. The details were extraordinarily thorough, covering virtually all of Qin Weijiu's experiences from birth to the present day. Moreover, he highlighted several key points of suspicion. Listening closely, Xu Yuan felt a stirring in his heart. Evidently, while he had been immersed in cultivation, his elder brother Xu Changge had clearly gone to immense lengths to investigate Qin Weijiu's background. After a long silence, Xu Yuan suddenly asked in a measured voice: "Father, do you know of a place called Burial Village?"