After Shi Song stepped onto the top floor of Heavenly Wings Pavilion, the atmosphere at the banquet suddenly became very subtle. Even an outsider like Zhao Ziyue could sense that the entire banquet seemed split in two, with two distinct auras intermingling.
Everyone belonging to Cliff City appeared to have drawn a line, each taking sides. But before the tension could become any clearer, Shi Song strode to the host’s seat and bowed deeply to Xie Yan:
“Many thanks to Immortal Xie for extending your helping hand and sparing Cliff City from the massacre by demons and monsters. All of us in Thousand Spirit Gate are deeply grateful!”
The others present had no idea what he was referring to, yet the gravity of the matter stirred their curiosity. Xie Yan, however, maintained his usual expression, his nearly colorless eyes barely moving as he simply nodded.
Not minding the puzzled stares, Shi Song turned to Yu Ci beside him: “Daoist Yu, your righteous act is deeply engraved in the heart of Thousand Spirit Gate.”
He was referring to the matter with Tu Du, and Yu Ci, without further comment, smiled and bowed in return.
On the surface, Shi Song appeared to be a straightforward, even somewhat impulsive man. After exchanging courtesy with Xie Yan and Yu Ci, he said little more and proceeded to sit in his designated seat—the very one Yu Ci had earlier occupied. Then he lifted his head; time had left deep marks on his face, making it appear aged, and three thin, parallel scars lined his cheek—a memento, they said, from his encounter with Jin Huan.
At that moment, his gaze locked onto Jin Huan in a way anyone could understand—his eyes burning with intensity.
Jin Huan met his stare without any sign of weakness.
In an instant, the temperature in the hall seemed to rise, drying the skin of those present.
Everyone knew that if even a little more provoked these two, a deadly confrontation would ensue. This atmosphere had long since surpassed the bounds of a normal Treasure Exchange Banquet.
Meanwhile, Yu Ci paid no mind to the nearly unhidden turbulent undercurrents within the banquet. Instead, he turned to look at Xie Yan. At that moment, he clearly noticed a storm gathering in Xie Yan’s brows—a storm that had been building since the banquet began and had reached its peak when Shi Song and Jin Huan confronted each other.
Then came a deep, resonant inquiry: “Where is the Golden Bone Jade Plate?”
This was the first word spoken since taking his seat, and even the old adversaries Shi Song and Jin Huan, along with everyone else at the banquet, turned in astonishment.
Yu Ci saw that Zhou Youde’s face first registered surprise, then—as if remembering something—his brows furrowed.
After a brief silence in the hall, Zhou Youde lowered his voice and, with an uncertain tone, said, “Immortal Xie’s meaning is…”
But seeing his expression, Yu Ci already had a bad feeling. He glanced over to see Xie Yan clenching the black-sheathed long sword in his hand, and hurriedly interjected: “Manager Zhou, Immortal Xie has heard that your faction obtained a Golden Bone Jade Plate from the Western Buddha Kingdom and planned to sell it at the Treasure Exchange Banquet. Is that so?”
At his words, the atmosphere in the hall shifted again. Most guests turned their gaze upward toward the smoke-emitting trees, their eyes flashing as they attempted to pierce the haze and discern the appearance of the Golden Bone Jade Plate that Xie Yan demanded.
Yet Zhou Youde’s ever-smiling face turned pale as he asked, “Immortal Xie urgently needs this item?”
Xie Yan remained silent, his water-colored eyes fixed intently on him.
Under that gaze, Zhou Youde fidgeted uncomfortably; indeed, he could not sit still. In fact, he didn’t dare meet Xie Yan’s eyes, instead shifting his gaze to Yu Ci, as if imploring him to understand: “That Golden Bone Jade Plate originally existed…”
He faltered for a moment before continuing, “It was based on information provided by someone. After our faction secured the treasure on that basis, immediately upon passing through the Sky Rift Valley, the informant was waiting there to exchange it for another precious item. That person’s behavior was odd, but everything was done according to regulations, so…”
Yu Ci listened, his heart sinking as he clung to a sliver of hope: “And that person’s identity?”
Zhou Youde’s face turned terribly pale; he could only force a bitter smile and say, “I don’t know.”
At that moment, the heated air in the banquet hall—stirred by the confrontation between Jin Huan and Shi Song—was suddenly scattered by a cold wind, as if blown from a gloomy crypt.
Xie Yan abruptly stood up.
Zhou Youde, though a seasoned man, found that his newly risen body suddenly went weak, and he sank back into his seat.
Even though, aside from Yu Ci, no one in the hall truly understood what was happening, Xie Yan made no attempt to hide his emotions. Anger, regret, irritability, and other negative feelings were palpable to everyone—like a sword sheath on the verge of collapse, hiding an unmatched sharp blade within.
Under such an atmosphere, no one doubted that Xie Yan might indeed draw his sword and slash Zhou Youde… or even, all of them!
Yu Ci furrowed his brows and also stood up, ready to speak, but then saw Xie Yan leave without a word, striding out of the banquet hall and leaving a group of people utterly dumbfounded, not understanding what had just transpired.
Yu Ci sighed and followed after him.
Xie Yan didn’t go far; he stood on the outdoor viewing platform, gazing up at the night sky that had grown completely dark.
Yu Ci walked up behind him, intending to offer a few words of comfort, but found himself at a loss for what to say.
At that moment, the Dragon Fish emerged from the bamboo grove, swaying its head and tail with a carefree air.
Both of their gazes fell on the Dragon Fish at the same time, and their emotions were quite complicated. Then, Yu Ci heard Xie Yan speak about something completely unrelated to what had come before:
“In a person’s cultivation, the very first step is to find a dao—whether it is one’s own path or someone else’s. Only with a dao can you have a foothold; if you’re stepping into emptiness, even if someone tries to help, their strength is useless.”
He was referring to Yu Zhou.
Yu Ci listened silently; at that moment, he neither needed nor felt like offering any commentary.
Xie Yan continued, “The so-called ‘immortality’ is like this sky—boundless and all-embracing. Every single star is a target for immortality. Once you pinpoint your star, drawing a line between the two is the path to immortality. Such a simple concept, yet some people, in their muddled state, only see the sky without noticing the stars. They cast their line in a twisty, winding manner and eventually lose their way.”
Though he was still referring to Yu Zhou, his words also served as guidance for Yu Ci. Finally, he turned his gaze toward him and said, “You’re doing quite well right now. Even if it’s not for the long haul, at least you have a goal ahead, and when you set out to work, you’re decisive and resolute…”
Yu Ci knew that his schemes over these past days could not be hidden from him, yet being told so directly still made him slightly abashed. When he wanted to offer an explanation, he saw Xie Yan wave his hand dismissively: “Go on and do it. Whether it turns out well or not, doing something is a thousand times better than keeping it bottled up inside!”
With that, without giving Yu Ci another chance to speak, Xie Yan vanished into the air with a whoosh as he wielded his sword and flew away, leaving no trace. Yu Ci had intended to discuss the matter of the Dragon Fish with him, but with the Golden Bone Jade Plate missing and no idea how to handle the Dragon Fish, he could only postpone the matter—and besides… time was nearly up.
Glancing at the mountain city outside, alight with countless lamps, Yu Ci reached out and slapped his cheek to shake off the earlier low mood. After enjoying a brief moment in the cold wind, he stepped inside.
At the door, he bumped into Geng Fu huddled in a corner; the stout fellow was truly perceptive, clearly having sensed something was off inside, and he looked over with a mournful expression.
Seeing him, Yu Ci couldn’t help but recall the suddenly reactive Bronze Mirror. At that moment, the mirror’s temperature had, at some point, dropped back to normal, yet there appeared to be subtle changes within that needed investigation. Thinking that his long-stalled research might finally see a chance for revival, he felt rather favorable toward this plump shopkeeper, smiled at him, and walked straight into the hall.
No sooner had he entered than all eyes turned toward him. At a time like this, no one could afford to disregard Xie Yan’s stance; not to mention his backing of the Rifting Earth Sect—Xie Yan himself, with his lofty Void Stepping cultivation, was more than enough to make everyone present take notice!
Yu Ci understood all of their thoughts. So he calmly returned to his seat, picked up his cup, and signaled to everyone at the banquet, “Be joyful when you’re happy, be angry when you’re angry—no pretense. Immortal Xie is a man of true character; you all know the drill.”
Since he had raised his cup, regardless of what the others at the banquet were thinking, they all had to show something. Immediately, everyone raised their cups and drank together.
There were only two exceptions: one was Jin Huan, whose pride—without Xie Yan there to keep him in check—would never allow him to follow the lead of someone like Yu Ci; the other was Chi Yin, the equally proud beauty under his control. Although she appeared low-key and silent upon entering the banquet hall, when everyone else raised their cups to drink together, she had no intention of following suit. With a half-smile and a cool, detached gaze, she watched from the sidelines.
Yu Ci took note of all this but pretended not to notice.
After a cup of wine was finished, Shi Song, now one of Yu Ci’s subordinates, first nodded at him in greeting and then burst into laughter, “I arrived a bit late just now. I wonder what treasure could have impressed Master Yixin so much that he couldn’t stop praising it?”
At his words, the air—just moments ago frozen by Xie Yan—began to warm again.
In response to his rhetorical question, Monk Yixin smiled slightly and said little, his gaze shifting to look at Zhou Youde.
Zhou Youde was deep in thought; even after downing that cup of wine, his mood remained unchanged. However, having seen much of the world, he knew that the most important thing at this moment was to keep steady. With a smile, he rephrased the earlier introduction in different words and delivered it once more.
Listening to this, Shi Song nodded repeatedly, “Master Yixin has a keen eye. This ‘Heart-Connected Rhino Ring’ truly suits our sect’s method. In that case, I happen to have a treasure here; please take a look, Manager Zhou—could it perhaps be exchanged for this ring?”
As he spoke, he took out from his storage ring a large, conch-shaped object—stark white with an eerie color. On closer inspection, everyone discovered that it was an item made of bone, not a single piece but pieced together from hundreds of tiny bone fragments, with crisscrossing fine lines extending into every corner.
With a smile, Shi Song brought this strange contraption to his mouth, aligning it with the air inlet that had been left, and gently blew. A “woo woo” sound arose, intermingled with a series of sharp, tinkling notes—as if dozens of whistles were playing out of sync. The sound waves penetrated the four walls and echoed through Heavenly Wings Pavilion, creating a very eerie effect.
The cultivators present, each with their own perceptiveness, watched Shi Song’s demonstration and gleaned much information. For a moment, they exchanged glances, unsure of what expression to wear.
Just then, the night sky outside grew faintly bright, as if someone had set off fireworks.