Chapter 62

The Chunyang Sect and the Wuyun Sect are both large sects, and there are many juniors participating in the Jiaolong Assembly this time, but this match consisted of young successors from both sects, thus it naturally attracted a lot of attention.

When the two of them walked over, they saw Xu Zhi Nan standing with Yan Shu, no different from how he usually treats people. Facing a life-or-death enemy and still being able to talk and laugh so easily, one could not help but secretly admire Xu Zhi Nan's manners.

When Xu Zhi Nan saw the two of them, he joined the crowd in smiling and arching hands.

Yan Shu also bowed, "Your Highness, Ninth Highness."

Looking closer at this man, he was about fifty to sixty years old, tall, with a sharp angular face, deep eye sockets and a very sharp gaze that gave him a stern look.

"Sect Leader Yan." Zong Zi Heng nodded and said, also trying to maintain his composure, "I have heard of your name for a long time."

"It's just a humble name. Your Highness thought highly of me." Yan Shu had a straight face, unable to see any emotion.

"Let's all sit down, the tournament is about to begin." Xu Zhi Nan teased Yan Shu, "Sect Leader Yan, if my sect’s junior wins, you must not be annoyed."

Yan Shu said with a fake smile, "Joking aside, when the children compete, winning or losing is a lesson they have to learn."

As Zong Zi Heng sat down, he exchanged a quiet glance with Zong Zi Xiao.

Zong Zi Xiao understood and asked curiously, "Sect Leader Yan, I heard that you have a magical weapon called the Wusheng Brush, which can turn anything you draw into the real thing. Can I borrow it to play with?"

Zong Zi Heng chided, "Xiao Jiu, don't be rude, how can you just ask for a magical weapon?"

In rumors, Zong Zi Xiao had a reputation for being arrogant, so it was not surprising that he made such a request. He said indifferently, "So what if I borrow it? I don't even want his, besides it's not like the Wusheng Brush is the most powerful magical weapon of the Wuyun Sect."

"Xiao Jiu!"

Yan Shu shifted his body uncomfortably.

Zong Zi Xiao flattened his mouth unhappily, "Sect Leader Yan, you can demonstrate it to me."8n

Xu Zhi Nan chuckled, "Ninth highness is still a teenager at heart."

"He's just mischievous, always thinking about playing all the time."

Yan Shu did not look embarrassed, and said, "If Your Highness really wants to see it, I will demonstrate it when the competition is over."

Zong Zi Xiao clapped his hands happily, "Okay. Big brother, what do you think we should draw? A dragon?"

"Do you know how big a dragon is? How can it be drawn."

"Oh right ..." Zong Zi Xiao thought for a moment, "Hey, I have an idea, how about letting Sect Leader Yan draw a small dragon? Then Xu Zhen Ren can use Gong Shu Ju to turn the small dragon into a big one?"

Yan Shu's eyebrows twitched and his jaw suddenly tensed up.

Xu Zhi Nan laughed dryly, "Ninth Highness, that Gong Shu Ju, is not in my hands, but with the Flying Plume Ambassador."

"But Qi Meng Sheng clearly said it was in your..."

Zong Zi Heng yanked Zong Zi Xiao over and barked lowly, "Will you shut up?"

Zong Zi Xiao grunted defiantly.

Xu Zhi Nan showed an awkward look on his face.

In the ring, the competition had already begun. Yan Shu looked ahead with unblinking eyes while whispering, "I heard that Your Highness and Xu Zhen Ren captured the Lion Alliance's Chen Xing Yong alive, eliminating harm for the martial world. That's indeed a truly chivalrous act."

"Everyone has to be punished for stealing cores. His Highness and Ninth Highness fought bravely against the enemy, while I did help a bit, which is not worth mentioning." Xu Zhi Nan said indifferently.

"I heard that Xu Zhen Ren’s junior brother... I’m sorry about that."

Xu Zhi Nan's pupils contracted, and his eyes flashed with bitter hatred, but he was as calm as a mountain. Without revealing any flaw, he just said sadly: "We were trapped, even Chen Xing Yong was silenced. Otherwise the mastermind behind the curtain would have already been found out."

Yan Shu stroked his beard and said, "Wouldn't that have allowed the person behind the curtain to go unpunished? The safety of the cultivators is still a cause for concern ah."

Zong Zi Xiao said smugly, "When we first interrogated Chen Xing Yong, he couldn't tell us everything in order to keep his life, but he couldn't keep it all to himself either, so he still revealed some clues in the end, and we'll definitely be able to find out who it is."

"Oh, what clues?"

Xu Zhi Nan said, "Sect Leader Yan, just watch for the time being. That person behind the curtain must be an expert. Maybe he’s in Daming at this moment. Before the end of the Jiaolong assembly, we will test one by one, sooner or later we will be able to test it out." When he said this, he deliberately emphasised the word "test" clearly. This word inevitably let people think of measurement, and talking about measurement, in this situation, again it inevitably led to the thought of Lu Ban’s divine ruler, Gong Shu Ju.

"Yes, it will definitely be tested." Zong Zi Heng stared at the ring and gave a heavy clap, "That was a good move."

Yan Shu looked at the ring and snapped out of his daze before realizing that his sect’s junior had fallen under the Chunyang Sect.

Soon after, the match was over, and the Chunyang Sect won over the Wuyun Sect by a narrow margin.

Yan Shu did not show a happy or angry expression on his face as usual, and calmly congratulated Xu Zhi Nan.

Xu Zhi Nan laughed loudly, "You are too kind, Sect Leader Yan."

Zong Zi Xiao couldn't wait to say, "Sect Leader Yan, let me see the Wusheng Brush quickly. I will be competing again in a while."

Zong Zi Heng was ashamed, "Sect Leader Yan, my younger brother does not know how to act. This is a presumptuous request. If you are in a difficult position, just say so."

"No worries, today I will let Ninth Highness have a glimpse of it."

Several people sought shelter in the mountain forest.

Yan Shu took out a simple and unsophisticated writing brush made of goat’s hair and looked at Zong Zi Xiao, "Ninth Highness wants to see a dragon?"

"Yes, draw a dragon."

The Wusheng Brush emitted a burst of spiritual light and floated in mid-air. Yan Shu urged his spiritual power and the tip of the brush moved automatically. Soon enough, a small arm-length dragon was drawn in the air.

This little dragon, although black, is also alive and vivid. It shook its dragon's whiskers, stretching its long body, and obediently wrapped around Yan Shu.

Zong Zi Xiao chased the dragon with excitement.

Zong Zi Heng stroked his palm and laughed, "It's so interesting, how did Sect Leader Yan get such an interesting magical weapon?"

"By chance."

"Sect Leader Yan, how long can this dragon be maintained?"

"A small object like this, I can maintain it for a long time." Yan Shu looked at Xu Zhi Nan, "But if Xu Zhen Ren was to use the Gong Shu Ju to make it bigger, that would be too spiritually draining for me and I am unable to estimate how long it will last."

Xu Zhi Nan waved his hand and smiled bitterly, "Gong Shu Ju is not in my hands."

Zong Zi Xiao said unhappily, "Hmph, what the hell are you ..."

Zong Zi Heng sternly interrupted Zong Zi Xiao’s words, "Gong Shu Ju is a matter of great importance, it is not for you to have fun."

The three echo to each other*, which really made Yan Shu frown. The more Xu Zhi Nan shrugged it off, the more suspicious it seemed, plus they were so nervous about Gong Shu Ju, they look fishy no matter how one looks at it.

---

After separating from Yan Shu, Zong Zi Xiao rolled his eyes: "He really let me play with his magical weapon. I am not even a child."

Xu Zhi Nan said, "That's because the only thing His Highness wanted to see was the Wusheng Brush. So naturally he wouldn't want to disgrace you."

"If you really asked him for the Wuyun Sect's treasures, not only would he not agree, he would also be suspicious." Zong Zi Heng stroked Zong Zi Xiao's head, "You are indeed still a child."

Zong Zi Xiao pushed his big brother's hand away, straightened his chest and said with a straight face, "I am not a child."

"He should have taken the bait. He has made many deals with Chen Xing Yong and inevitably has oversights, and it is impossible for him not to worry about his identity being exposed. Now that we are going to 'test' Gong Shu Ju, even though he does not know how and what we are going to 'test', he is bound to feel guilty."

"Only this step is not enough. He only suspects, but may not really think that Gong Shu Ju can expose him."

Xu Zhi Nan nodded, "Next, it's up to Hua Yu Xin."

"What do you guys know about that magical weapon of the Wuyun Sect?" Zong Zi Xiao frowned, "Even if we do force him to reveal himself, if we can't catch him, it won't help."

"The Chasing Mountain Whip ..." Zong Zi Heng recited, "Legend says that it is the magical weapon of Emperor Shi which can move mountains, but no one has ever seen what it is capable of. After all, it has not been seen in the immortal cultivation world for hundreds of years."

Since three hundred years ago, when the ancestor of the Zong Clan unified Jiuzhou and ascended to the throne as emperor, there has been no more great strife in this land. Not only the Chasing Mountain Whip, but also the top magical weapons of all the great immortal clans, have almost not been used, so their generation now knows very little about the Chasing Mountain Whip.

"When the time comes, the only way to capture him is to combine the strength of all the people." Zong Zi Heng looked at the sky, "Xiao Jiu, your second match is about to start, let's go back."

Zong Zi Xiao's second match happened to be the disciple of the Chunyang Sect who had just narrowly defeated the Wuyun Sect, just now. It was clear enough from this match that this disciple was no match for Zong Zi Xiao, so this match does not have any suspense.

Zong Zi Heng was about to go and watch the match when he was stopped by Shen Shi Yao's maid: "Your Highness, Consort wants to see you."

Zong Zi Heng said coldly, "I am going to watch Xiao Jiu's martial arts competition."

"But Consort said ..." the maid lowered her voice and said with difficulty, "Your Highness, Consort has been angry all day, if she comes and finds you, won't it make an even worse scene?"

Zong Zi Heng took a deep breath. He knew it was useless to run away from what was coming, and walked with great strides towards his tent.

Shen Shi Yao waved away all the attendants. Mother and son stared at each other through space, both with anger burning in their eyes.

She was about to talk when Zong Zi Heng said: "Mother, do you know your mistake?"

Shen Shi Yao stared with her pair of beautiful round eyes and said with a shaking voice: "My mistake? For whom am I doing all of this for?"

"I don't need you to do despicable things for me."

Shen Shiyao was furious: "How dare you! You're saying I'm despicable!?"

"You ... You gave that kind of drug to an innocent girl and gave it to your own son ..." Zong Zi Heng's face turned red with shame, "Have you thought about what will happen to us if this matter is revealed?"

"What will happen? What will happen is that Hua Yu Xin will marry you no matter what. The Huaying Sect originally wanted you to be their son-in-law, so this is exactly the fulfilment of the marriage."

"You ..." Zong Zi Heng was so angry at Shen Shi Yao that his body shook.

"You think it was easy for me to get that drug? You think I'm not scared or guilty in my heart for going out of my way?" Shen Shi Yao gritted her teeth, "But that bitch Li Xiang Tong is far more vicious than I am. If I don't use tricks, I will have to wait for her to use tricks to ruin you!"

"Unreasonable!" Zong Zi Heng snapped, "You're simply unreasonable!" He had always been obedient and filial since he was a child, and had never had such a heated argument with his mother. This time he was really angry and disappointed, and for a moment he could not even accept that such a person would be his own mother.

Shen Shi Yao cried out, "Why are you so unfilial? You don't understand your mother's painstaking efforts, you disappoint me every time, and you oppose me every time. I'm your mother ah, I'm doing all this for you ah!"

"Are you really doing this for me?!" Zong Zi Heng asked with tears in his eyes as he took two steps back.

Shen Shi Yao stiffened and looked at her son.

Zong Zi Heng shook his head and turned to run away.

 

 ----

echo to each other*[一唱一和]---cooperate with each other 

 

Edited on 29 Mar. 21 (Emzie)

 

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