Chapter 258

"Wuliang Sect? Did something happen to Song Chun Gui?"

"Kind of."

"What happened, and how would you know? What does this have to do with Xu Zhi Nan?" Xie Bi An asked in succession.

"Li Zhi Qing forced Song Chun Gui to leave the Wuliang Sect. Although Song Chun Gui is powerful, Wuliang Sect is the property of the Li family after all. How can the people surnamed Li allow a disabled person from a humble background to sit on the throne as sect leader? And the Thunder Ancestor Treasure Grant is also in Li Zhi Qing’s hands, and now they are in a deadlock. Li Zhi Qing invited all the sects to the Wuliang Sect to do them justice. His reason was that the leader of the Wuliang Sect is not only concerning the Wuliang Sect, but also the leader of the Immortal Alliance, and should be elected by all the major sects."

Fan Wu She narrowed his eyes slightly: "There is a fraud."

Li Zhi Qing’s action was really puzzling. This person had mediocre qualifications. Besides being Li Bu Yu’s son, he had no prestige in the immortal cultivation world. He could still compete with Song Chun Gui by depending on the sect’s power in the Wuliang Sect. If he were really put in the immortal cultivation world, especially after Li Bu Yu's infamous death, who wouldn’t be afraid and avoid him?

Moreover, the leader of the Wuliang Sect was equal to the leader of the Immortal Alliance. In the years when Xu Zhi Nan was still using Qi Meng Sheng's body to commit crimes, Cangyu Sect was like the sun at noon*. The immortal cultivation world was declining day by day, and many sects were interested in siding with the Cangyu Sect. Now that Cangyu Sect was also finished, if the dying Immortal Alliance could be revived, and if an Alliance Leader could be elected, based on family background, status, wealth, talent, cultivation, reputation, and other aspects, it should be Lan Chui Han.

In the case of not knowing whether Lan Chui Han was dead or alive, Song Chun Gui could be a passable choice. After all, among the same generation, besides Lan Chui Han, no one could surpass him. In short, it could never be Li Zhi Qing’s turn.

Although Li Zhi Qing’s talent wasn’t good, he was very smart, so how could he not know? This made his behavior seem extremely weird. There must be something strange about the things that were going wrong. In addition, Xu Zhi Nan also went to Mount Shu. There must be some conspiracy hidden behind it.

Hua Xiang Rong said: "I don’t know why Xu Zhi Nan went to Mount Shu, but it must have something to do with this matter, I’m worried about....." she frowned deeply, "I cannot say clearly, but I have a very bad feeling."

Xie Bi An pondered for a moment: "Now the only way is to go and have a look. Those sects really responded to Li Zhi Qing’s invitation?"

"Most of them want to find some small profit when the two sects are fighting. After all, no matter which party is ultimately in charge of the Wuliang Sect, there is no shortage of support from other sects."

Fan Wu She asked, "When you were in the process of tracking Xu Zhi Nan, did you find any traces of Jiang Qu Lian?"

Hua Xiang Rong's face became even more grim: "I have felt the remnants of very strong Yin energy, but I couldn’t confirm it was him, nor did I know exactly when he appeared."

It's really impossible for a living person without soul weapons to look out for the traces of the ghost king. However, Jiang Qu Lian must have come to earth for the Golden Trunk Jade Policy. If they could trace Xu Zhi Nan, Jiang Qu Lian should be able to do the same. It depended on who could get the Jade Policy first.

Xie Bi An looked at the lush, distant mountains: "Let’s go to Yunding."

---

The three of them rushed to Diancang Peak without stopping.

This time, they still disguised themselves as cultivators who responded to Li Zhi Qing's invitation and came to Yunding to see the excitement, so as not to alarm Xu Zhi Nan, and to see what Li Zhi Qing was up to.

They stayed at an inn in Lanxi Town, which had not been busy for a long time since the unrest of Wuliang Sect.

When they arrived at Lanxi Town, they heard even more unimaginable news. Li Zhi Qing set up an arena in Lanxi town to compete with Song Chun Gui for the position of sect leader!

Now everyone thought that Li Zhi Qing was either crazy or had brain damage. Did he think that he could defeat Song Chun Gui with the Thunder Ancestor Treasure Grant in his hand?

Among the young people, it was publicly known to everyone that the ones who were most likely to be the first in the immortal cultivation world would be Song Chun Gui and Lan Chui Han. They were both gifted and diligent, especially Song Chun Gui's experience was legendary. Based on his background, what kind of dazzling ability did he need to be favored by the Immortal Alliance Leader who was sitting high in the clouds? And as a swordsman, he only had one arm. Missing an arm could seriously affect the balance of the body. During sword fighting, the slightest difference could be fatal. How much hard work did he have to put in to overcome such a big disability? Unexpectedly, he was able to stand out and become the candidate of the future leader of the first sect in the world.

And Song Chun Gui had an innate character and was upright. Many cultivators from aristocratic families set him as an example.

No one believed that Li Zhi Qing would be Song Chun Gui's opponent, even though he had the Thunder Ancestor Treasure Grant. Even if Li Zhi Qing's mind was not "clear" anymore, won't the sect’s relatives of the Li family stop him from making a fool of himself?

The three of them took a short break and went to see the arena. Naturally, they were not the only ones who came to see the excitement. There was a lot of discussion in the crowd. They all laughed at Li Zhi Qing overestimating his capabilities. Some lamented that the Li family had burned the bridge after crossing the river*, and most of them felt that it wasn’t worthy for Song Chun Gui to go through. But in any case, everyone was looking forward to the contest.

Xie Bi An frowned and examined the arena for a while. As a thing that was constructed at the last minute and was predicted to be destroyed, it was too fine and gorgeous, and the shape was indescribably odd. Most of the arenas were squares, but this arena was round. The tripod that held up the arena was covered by one round of red curtains. Around it were inlaid with four huge bronze divine beasts: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise. Each face looked ferocious and murderous.

"What does Li Zhi Qing want to do?" The more Xie Bi An looked at it, the more he felt that this matter was not so simple.

"There must be some kind of conspiracy, and it must be directed at Song Chun Gui. I'm curious, does he think that he can defeat Song Chun Gui by some unorthodox means?" Fan Wu She snorted. He had fought with Song Chun Gui before. This person's cultivation and sword skills were worthy of his reputation.

"Don't underestimate him. He is Li Bu Yu's son." Xie Bi An's gaze was cold. In his past and present life, he had suffered a lot because of Li Bu Yu. How could a man like Li Bu Yu be willing to leave his family property in the hands of an outsider? No matter how powerful Song Chun Gui was, he may suffer a hidden loss.

Hua Xiang Rong nodded: "That's right. Moreover, if Xu Zhi Nan and Jiang Qu Lian have also come here, things would be more complicated."

"Big brother, let's go back to the inn to rest first. Everything that should be exposed will be exposed in the arena tomorrow."

"Alright." Xie Bi An once again looked at the strange arena worriedly and turned to leave.

On the way back to the inn, he also heard several craftsmen talking about Li Zhi Qing buying all the bronze in town. Xie Bi An recalled the four bronze divine beasts and always felt that the arena probably had some kind of meaning, but he didn’t find any arrays around it, which was even more puzzling.

He couldn’t have taken such great lengths just for decoration.

---

When they were sleeping in the middle of the night, it was still Xie Bi An who slept on the bed, and Fan Wu She who slept on the floor. It's not that he didn't have the audacity to go to bed, but he was kicked out of bed several times and was forced to give up.

What Xie Bi An saw today made him lose sleep again. This feeling of knowing it was a conspiracy but not knowing what to do was like a thick fog in front of him. It's there, but it can't be pulled away, waved away, or dodged no matter what, and they had to go in.

"Big brother." Fan Wu She asked softly, "You can't sleep?"

"Mm, I'm worried about Song Chun Gui."

"I see, he has a strong life*. He'll be fine."

"He is a good man. His only flaw is his foolish loyalty and filial piety to Li Bu Yu." Xie Bi An inevitably felt sad when he said this. He thought of his mother. He knew she was wrong, but he couldn't give up on her. As for Song Chun Gui, Li Bu Yu was like his teacher and father.

"That's why he’s called a good person." Fan Wu She turned over and looked at Xie Bi An on the bed under the moonlight. Although he could only see the silvery-white moonlight plating on his contour, his beauty still made him feel a rush of excitement.

Xie Bi An sighed lightly.

"Since big brother cannot fall asleep, I'll sing a song for you."

"What?"

Fan Wu She coughed lightly, then hummed out a tune. His voice was husky and bewitching, but his tone was awkward at this moment: "Was it sung like this? I forgot the lyrics."

Xie Bi An's face suddenly burned a little, and he muttered, "It's out of tune." He used this lullaby to coax a baby when he was young, but now that "baby" had grown up and actually sung it to coax him, which made him feel a bit ashamed.

Fan Wu She chuckled and said, "Then big brother, sing for me. I can’t sleep either."

In the darkness, Xie Bi An seemed to be able to feel the burning gaze. He turned around and faced Fan Wu She with his back: "Recite the soothing mantra several times and you will fall asleep naturally."

Fan Wu She hummed again. It seemed that he was struggling to find the tune, so it sounded even more awkward. But in this quiet night, he had a kind of tenderness that couldn’t be explained clearly.

Xie Bi An closed his eyes. He did not stop Fan Wu She, nor did he recite the soothing mantra, but followed the uneven tune and hummed it in his heart.

At this moment, they seemed to have returned to a midsummer night a hundred years ago, when the tent was swaying, the fragrance of orchids was fragrant, and a fan brought a gentle and cool breeze. Big brother was singing a lullaby in a soft voice and coaxing his younger brother. Finally, the two brothers fell smoothly and steadily into a sweet dream together.

A crystal tear oozed from the corner of Xie Bi An's eye.

The two of them fell asleep together in this peace.

---

Xie Bi An opened his eyes, and the days of tiredness had swept away from his body. He felt very relaxed. He lowered his head and looked at himself. He was dressed in white. The girdle, lapel, sleeves, and lower hem of the gown were embroidered with double petaled orchids. This was his favorite outfit, which his mother sewed for him.

He lifted his head and saw a door appear before him with golden light rolling in the crack between the door and its frame.

He did not hesitate to push open the door. The white light forced him to cover his eyes. When he opened them again, he saw a sea of orchids in front of him, with all kinds of rare varieties that he had seen and never seen before. They were colorful, prosperous, and elegant. The fragrance of the orchids wafted into his nose, which made him indulge in the beauty.

There was a man dressed in black standing in the middle of the orchid clusters. His body was tall and upright, his hair was like the most expensive silk satin shining under the sun.

Xie Bi An blurted out, "Xiao Jiu." Unprepared, he called out like this. His heart thumped for a while, but he couldn't remember why he was so nervous.

The man in black turned around. He had beautiful, charming fox eyes and a stunning face that captivated the crowd. He smiled and replied affectionately, "Big brother."

 

 

SQC’s note: Hahaha forgot to mention that the Red King is the SHOU (#^. ^#) See you guys in the parking lot in the next chapter.

----

PS: *hyperventilates*

 

like the sun at noon*[如日中天]--- to be at the peak of one's power, career etc

burned the bridge after crossing the river*[过河拆桥]---- to abandon one's benefactor upon achieving one's goal

strong life*[命硬]---- If someone has gone through VERY SERIOUS, LIFE-THREATENING situations and survive, which are like fatal illnesses, injuries,  assassination attempts or even death,  We would describe him as 命硬

 

Edited on 6 July 21 (Emzie)

 

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