Chapter 54

When Zong Zi Heng returned to his guest residence, he saw Huang Hong and Huang Wu guarding the door, and he cast a questioning glance.

"Your Highness." Huang Wu said, "Ninth Highness is sulking in the house and refuses to come out."

Zong Zi Heng looked at the tightly closed doorway and let out a soft sigh. It was true that he had spoken too harshly before, but the older Zong Zi Xiao is, the more opinionated he became. If he wasn't taught to understand right and wrong and accept gains and losses at critical moments, it would be even harder to correct him later.

"Your Highness, would you like to go in and take a look?"

Zong Zi Heng hesitated for a moment and shook his head, "You guys take him back to Daming."

Huang Hong smiled bitterly, "Ninth Highness will not come with us."

"Then keep an eye on him. We’ll go home after I’ve settled the things here."

"Yes, then Gong Shu Ju ..."

"Don't mention it again." Zong Zi Heng said with a stern face.

The two brothers looked at each other, "... yes."

Zong Zi Heng intended to go and see Xu Zhi Nan and Cheng Yan Zhi.

The Chunyang Sect disciples were guarding outside their guest residence day and night, each with a gloomy and listless face.

When they saw Zong Zi Heng, several of them bowed, "Greetings, Your Highness."

"Where is your Senior Brother? I want to go and see him."

"Senior Brother is at Senior Brother Cheng's."

"Cheng Zhen Ren has woken up?"

The disciple said grimly, "No."

"I'll go and see."

"Ah, Your Highness." They were puzzled, "Senior Brother has said that no one is allowed to ... disturb them."

Zong Zi Heng said, "I am worried about his health and want to persuade him not to overwork himself." After saying this, he walked through several people and walked straight into the courtyard.

Those disciples did not dare to stop him and could only look at each other.

Zong Zi Heng walked up to Cheng Yan Zhi's room and knocked gently on the door, "Brother Xu, it's me."

There was no sound inside the room, but through a door, one could smell the strong scent of herbs inside.

"Brother Xu?" Zong Zi Heng waited for a moment and knocked again.

There was a sudden thud from inside, like a person falling to the ground.

Zong Zi Heng hurriedly pushed open the door, "Xu ..." He was stunned by the sight before him.

On the floor, seven old brass candlesticks were placed in the order of the seven stars of the Big Dipper, on which were placed white candles, each one as thick as an adult's wrist, burning with a glowing flame.

Xu Zhi Nan collapsed weakly to the floor and said in a mute voice, "Close ... close the door, quick."

Zong Zi Heng came back to his senses and quickly closed the door, isolating all the Chunyang Sect disciples who had arrived at the sound of the door. He hurriedly tried to run over to help Xu Zhi Nan up, but just as his foot lifted up, it changed to a gentle landing, lest his lapel carry half a breath of wind - he had already guessed what was in front of him.

He helped Xu Zhi Nan to a chair and lowered his voice, "Brother Xu, is this the ... Seven Star Life-Sustaining Lamp?"

Xu Zhi Nan grabbed Zong Zi Heng's wrist with a force that was not at all like that of a sick and weak person, "Zi Heng, you absolutely must not tell anyone."

"Okay ... Why not?"

"Before Master went into seclusion, he gave me the Seven Star Life-Sustaining Lamp for safekeeping, but I cannot use it without permission, especially to save an ordinary disciple. Going against the heavens will create karma, and Master won't allow it if he knows about it." Xu Zhi Nan said sadly, "But I can't stand by and watch Yan Zhi die, we grew up together, we were like brothers. If I hadn't brought him here, if I hadn't sent him to track down the mysterious man, how could he have become like this?"

Zong Zi Heng infused his spiritual energy into Xu Zhi Nan's body and said in a soft voice to comfort him, "Brother Xu, this is by no means your fault. There is no excuse for you to be affectionate, but you are also seriously injured now, so if you consume your spiritual energy like this, I am afraid that you won't be able to hold on to it yourself first."

"I have to hold on even if I can't." Xu Zhi Nan looked at Cheng Yan Zhi, who was lying unconscious on the bed, "With the Seven Star Life-Sustaining Lamp, he will slowly get better."

"But I've heard that the Seven Star Life-Sustaining Lamp can only keep a person in a state where they have one breath left?"

"That's because many people have reached the time of their destiny, and with more time, it's impossible to recover one’s youthful vigor. But Yan Zhi is still young and only injured, so as long as he hangs on to his life, it is possible for him to get better."

Zong Zi Heng frowned, "But he doesn't have his golden core anymore ..."

Xu Zhi Nan shook his head and said firmly, "I will definitely let him get better."

Zong Zi Heng said helplessly, "Then what are you going to do next? He can't get better for a while, and you can't leave the Seven Star Life-Sustaining Lamp, so, just let him stay here forever?"

"For the time being, I can only stay here. To the outside world, just say that I am recuperating here. No one will be suspicious."

"But they will find out sooner or later. Even if you can hide it from your junior brothers, can you hide it from Qi Meng Sheng? We are all on her turf now."

"The people I've brought out are trustworthy, don't worry about that. As for Qi Meng Sheng ..." Xu Zhi Nan said, "I need her to help me, so I can only tell her the truth."

"What do you want her to help you with?"

"The Seven Star Life-Sustaining Lamp drains an extreme amount of spiritual energy, and the matter cannot be left to others, so I have come up with a solution."

"What is it?"

"Let Qi Meng Sheng use Gong Shu Ju to make both the Seven Star Life-Sustaining Lamp and Yan Zhi smaller."

Zong Zi Heng's eyes widened as he wondered if this method would work. He was shocked at Xu Zhi Nan's boldness.

"There are still four months until the Jiaolong assembly, four months. It should be able to pull Yan Zhi back from the ghost gate, just that during this time, neither we nor the magical weapon can leave this place by half a step."

"Will she agree?"

"What harm would it do for her to sell a big friendship* to the next head of the Chunyang Sect?"

Zong Zi Heng sighed contently, "I hope Cheng Zhen Ren will get better and not waste your hard work."

---

When Zong Zi Heng returned to the guest residence. He saw a little glowing candle lit in Zong Zi Xiao's room and could faintly see the swaying figures. He stared at it for a while before entering the next room.

Thinking of the people he had seen, the words he had heard and the events that had taken place today, he laid on his bed, unable to fall asleep.

He could not take away Gong Shu Ju, and how should he explain to his father when he returned to Daming? Was the mysterious man Yan Shu, and why did he want to harm him? Will Xu Zhi Nan's solution work, and will Cheng Yan Zhi survive? What will happen if Yan Shu's true colors are exposed at next year's Jiaolong assembly? What is the role of the Wuyun Sect in this? Where did the core that was dug up by Chen Xing Yong end up?

These were the many questions that gave Zong Zi Heng a splitting headache. He had thought that by catching Chen Xing Yong, he would be able to eradicate the evil for the people and uncover the person behind the curtain and put an end to it, but the matter was far from over and had only just begun.

Zong Zi Heng tossed and turned, unable to sleep at all.

It was around 3-5am when Zong Zi Heng heard a small noise coming from next door. Such a small sound would have been almost impossible for him to notice if he were not an immortal cultivator and it was late at night.

Zong Zi Heng sat up from his bed. Although he could not tell exactly what the sound was, his intuition told him that it was Zong Zi Xiao. He listened intently and felt as if Zong Zi Xiao had gone out. He followed suit and got out of bed, walked silently to the door and looked out through the crack.

With a limited view, he could only see a dark shadow flicker by and disappear into the night.

It was so late, where was Xiao Jiu going?

Zong Zi Heng suddenly thought of a possibility. His expression suddenly changed. He quickly put on his clothes, grabbed his sword and chased after him.

When he rushed to Xu Zhi Nan's guest residence, he had indeed heard the sound of a fight. Zong Zi Heng's heart sank as he rushed over to see several Chunyang Sect disciples on the ground, Huang Hong and Huang Wu guarding them left and right, and Zong Zi Xiao holding Xu Zhi Nan's Qiankun bag in his hand.

"Bastards!" Zong Zi Heng was furious, "What are you guys doing?!"

Zong Zi Xiao was startled, but quickly regained his composure as he said rebelliously, "This is a task given to us by Father, and since Big Brother cannot do it, I will do it."

Zong Zi Heng took a big step forward and gave a fierce slap, slapping Zong Zi Xiao to the ground.

"Your Highness!" Huang Hong and Huang Wu were simply too late to stop it.

Zong Zi Heng swung out his hand again with his sword, and the scabbard struck Huang Hong across the chest, sending him flying backwards more than ten feet and landing on the ground with a stifled grunt.

Huang Wu lowered his eyes and knelt down with a plop: "Your Highness, please calm down."

"Did you encourage Zi Xiao to do such a despicable and underhanded thing!?"

Zong Zi Xiao covered his face, tears and resentment in his eyes as he stared at Zong Zi Heng incredulously, "You ... you hit me?"

Huang Hong wiped away the blood seeping out of the corner of his mouth and also climbed up, kneeling on the ground and saying calmly, "Does Your Highness mean that the emperor's orders are despicable and underhanded?"

"You're using Father to pressure me?" Zong Zi Heng gritted his teeth.

"This subordinate does not dare. Subordinate only wants to help Your Highness complete the task given by the emperor." Huang Hong said in a deep voice.

"I will go to Father’s place and ask for my punishment. No matter how Father punishes me, I, Zong Zi Heng, will never be a person who forgets justice in the name of profit!" He looked at Zong Zi Xiao in a condescending manner and said coldly, "Give it to me."

Zong Zi Xiao’s face was half swollen and his eyes were red. He looked wretched and pitiful. He said viciously, "You ... undiscriminating idiot, you actually hit me, I hate you!"

"Give it to me!" Zong Zi Heng said in a stern voice.

Zong Zi Xiao threw the Qiankun bag to Zong Zi Heng, jumped up from the ground, turned and ran away.

"Go and keep an eye on him." Zong Zi Heng said to Huang Wu.

"Yes."

Zong Zi Heng took the Qiankun bag and found Xu Zhi Nan, who was sitting against the bed, his eyes obscure and indistinct.

Zong Zi Heng only felt his face boiling, ashamed to show his face: "I'm sorry."

"... My junior brothers, are they alright?"

"It's fine, they're all lightly injured." Zong Zi Heng returned the Qiankun bag to Xu Zhi Nan, "My brother's lack of discipline is my fault."

"Zi Heng, there are some things that I couldn't say to you before, but now it seems that I have to say them." Xu Zhi Nan said, "I see that you are really treated unjustly."

Zong Zi Heng lowered his head.

"In terms of seniority, you should be the next Emperor Zong. Even if you leave the Zong clan, with your natural talent and cultivation, there is still a vast world at your disposal, so why are you half-heartedly fighting for it?"

"Above is my father, below is my younger brother, what should I fight for?" Zong Zi Heng said softly.

Xu Zhi Nan shook his head as he came closer to Zong Zi Heng and said in a low voice, "As long as you are willing, the Chunyang Sect embraces you as the Human Emperor."

Zong Zi Heng was stunned.

Xu Zhi Nan's eyes were calm and silent but certain, which were extremely powerful.

Zong Zi Heng avoided his gaze and said with an arching hand, "Brother Xu, please forgive my younger brother's ignorance. Having done such a disgraceful thing, it is no good for us to stay here."

Xu Zhi Nan nodded.

"I hope all goes well for you, and I will see you at the Jiaolong assembly spring next year."

"See you later."

"See you later."

 

 ----

sell a big friendship*[卖人情]--- do somebody a favour for personal consideration

 

 Edited on 26 Mar. 21 (Emzie)

←Previous Chapter                                                                                                 Next Chapter→