Chương 259: Jiannan Circuit

The Yun Family, Guest Reception Hall. Hearing Yun Xi speak so disparagingly of her own family, as if they were worthless, everyone in the room darkened their faces.

"Impudent! Little Seventh, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?!"

"Hmph, an ungrateful wretch who eats the apple tree but fences the fig tree! Father, if you hand the Lingjiang Branch over to her to manage, it will soon change its surname to Song!"

"Xi girl, are you overestimating this Song Que too much? I admit his talent is extraordinary and his potential is massive, but you must realize whether he can smoothly grow up is still an unknown variable. From my brief analysis, he has offended quite a few people, hasn't he? They are simply existences he cannot resist, yet he offended them just like that. This brat won't shed tears until he sees his coffin.

We might as well wait until he's pressured to the point of breaking; he will definitely come crawling back to beg us obediently." A bunch of short-sighted fools driven only by immediate profit! Yun Xi was utterly disappointed. Feeling utterly disheartened, she had no desire to continue arguing and merely spoke indifferently:"Song Que has already said it himself: the matters he cannot resist now are not things the Yun family can interfere with anyway.

You all still don't know, but today, Grandmaster Hui Wu revealed to me..."

"... Therefore, this was also the absolute best opportunity for the Yun family to develop. What a pity! You ruined it..." Having informed them about the establishment of the Phoenix Society, Yun Xi tiredly dropped that final sentence and paid no further attention to their expressions, walking out lonely to return to her own small courtyard. Watching her figure disappear into the distance, Yun Tianxiang finally snapped out of his daze and smiled bitterly:"It seems today was truly a miscalculation.

We really lifted a rock only to drop it on our own feet."

"Father, those are just her one-sided words. There might not even be such a thing as a Phoenix Society! Otherwise, how come no one has heard any rumors about it until now?" Yun Yan, still consumed by jealousy, spoke in defiance.

"Enough! Little Seventh's character is clear to us; if she wasn't absolutely certain, she would never say it out loud. This matter is undoubtedly true."

"Big Brother, it is all my fault for being too eager to subdue this brat. Otherwise, things wouldn't have turned out like this today." Looking at his second brother, Old Yun also smiled bitterly. Although today's events were his brother's idea, he was the one who made the final call. It was just that their calculations had been completely wrong from the start. The guy had already found a backer—and a particularly massive, incredibly sturdy one at that!

Furthermore, the two old men had assumed Master Song had feelings for Yun Xi, so he would force himself to agree. Who could have expected... this little thief was only good at running his mouth; it was all just sweet talk and empty words! How hateful! Yun Tianxiang shook his head and sighed:"There is still room to salvage this matter. From now on, I will hand over all matters related to Song Que to Little Seventh to handle. Let's hope this girl won't disappoint us."

"Understood, Big Brother!" A strange glint flashed across Yun Laifu's eyes as he respectfully cupped his hands to accept the order....... Jiannan Circuit, Sword Forging City. After a grueling journey by boat and carriage lasting over a day, Master Song finally set foot in this place, cutting it close to the February 14th appointment set by Old Blood with just one day to spare.

That day, after returning from the Yun family with nothing else to do, Song Que dragged Shen Ziming along, and following the address provided by Gao Jun and Xu Zishan, sought them out at a Heavenly River Sword Sect property in the city. The four of them found a barbecue joint, drinking and making merry until they forgot the heavens and the earth. It was worth mentioning that Xu Zishan's alcohol tolerance was simply terrifying.

Setting Master Song aside, by the end of the night, both Gao Jun and Shen Ziming were completely intoxicated, yet she remained perfectly sober. Aside from her face being slightly flushed, she was completely fine, making Grandee Song secretly exclaim what a freak she was. The next day, after Old Shen returned home, Song Que packed up his belongings, checked out of the room, and followed the address he had coaxed out of Gao Jun to locate the Giant Whale Merchant Guild's Yangnan branch.

Bringing his pots, pans, and clothes, he went to his good brother Hui Wu to mooch free meals and lodging. When this guy saw him, he had tried to tactfully shoo him away, but failed in the end. After being pestered and leeched off of for four days, and shamelessly begging to extort a fair amount of good items, Song Que finally gave the monk an affectionate bear hug and set off on his journey in satisfaction.

During those few days, besides beating up the monk and swindling goodies, Master Song also learned quite a bit of new knowledge from Hui Wu's mouth. It turned out Zhao Mingyue's red eyes were innate, much like the bald monk's. She was favored by the heavens and gifted with a pair of mutated eyes called the Illusion-Breaking Divine Eyes. Unlike Hui Wu's 'Heavenly Eye,' which sounded incredibly lofty but had mediocre power, Mingyue's eyes truly lived up to the title of 'Divine Eyes' with myriad miraculous uses.

Not only could they see through all illusions in the world, but her eyes could also slow down the perceived speed of external movements and naturally exuded charm and illusion arts. They were simply too overpowered! This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Rumor had it that shortly after she was born, the Sect Master of the Illusory Spirit Sect personally traveled to Yangnan, intending to abduct this little girl to groom her as the next inheritor.

However, he was discovered, and fought a life-and-death battle with the Enchantress's grandfather—the then-current Sect Master of the Heavenly River Sword Sect—before the enemy was finally repelled. Because of that battle, the previous Heavenly River Sect Master suffered hidden injuries. Coupled with his old age and frail body, he passed away in meditation not long after.

Fortunately, the incredibly brilliant Alliance Leader Zhao, driven by extreme grief and indignation, experienced a sudden epiphany overnight, breaking through to the Xiantian realm. He stepped forward to support the Heavenly River Sword Sect, allowing them to achieve their current glorious status. Even now, the Heavenly River Sword Sect and the Illusory Spirit Sect remained mortal enemies, and members of the Illusory Spirit Sect didn't dare casually step half a foot into the Southern Region.

As for the Enchantress's hair, that was a result of acquired cultivation. It was said that once the Zhao family's Galaxy Secret Tome was cultivated to a certain level, the body's hair and pores would be cleansed by the power of the nine heavens' starlight, turning it platinum-blonde; it was not a trait she was born with. Another matter was Xiong Ba's physique. According to Hui Wu, after checking the ancient texts, he was seventy to eighty percent sure the kid possessed the Xingtian Battle Physique.

Those possessing this physique had terrifying combat prowess—capable of battling the heavens and fighting the earth with inexhaustible strength. However, their temperament would simultaneously become violent and sluggish, prone to losing their reason. It was exactly the type of battle physique most coveted by the Demonic Cult. Travel a thousand miles, read a thousand books. After stepping out into the world, Master Song felt he had reaped an immense harvest. Furthermore...

Secretly observing the item in his spatial inventory—a token made of pure gold, stamped with the Wu family's Giant Whale insignia, capable of freely mobilizing personnel and resources across all Giant Whale Merchant Guild branches within the Great Yan territory and certain regions beyond its borders—Grandee Song's heart brimmed with even greater joy. Thinking back to when he extorted this item, the heart-wrenching pain on Hui Wu's face wasn't fake. But he had no choice but to hand it over!

A few days prior, the thief Song had constantly pestered him under the guise of 'sparring,' finally exacting his revenge by beating the monk into a panda with two black eyes. Unwilling to have his face ruined any further, Hui Wu had no choice but to yield to his tyrannical abuse. When parting ways, looking at his good brother's eyes burning with the fiery light of hatred, even Song Que couldn't help but shudder. This guy was definitely going back to the mountain to train bitterly.

Once his divine arts were fully mastered, one could guess with their knees who he would seek out for revenge first. After finishing his business here and returning home, Master Song resolved to go into deep seclusion for intensive training. Otherwise, if his little brother surpassed him, his future days would be anything but comfortable! Master Song joyfully made his decision........ Sword Forging City.

As a world-renowned city of blacksmithing and forging, its level of development vastly exceeded Lingjiang's by several folds. Among the cities he had traveled through, it was only slightly inferior to Yangnan Prefecture and Jiangdong Prefecture. In short, it was incredibly prosperous, teeming with life, with endless streams of people and carriages. In a major metropolis like this, large merchant guilds naturally wouldn't ignore it.

They flocked here to establish branches, and the Giant Whale Merchant Guild was no exception. Carrying his newly acquired token, Master Song energetically sought out the manager here, a man named Wu Qian, who was a member of a branch family of the Wu clan. Song Que instructed him to help inquire if there was a place called Mount Xuanwu in the Jiannan Circuit that matched the conditions Yang Mi had provided. After instructing him to prepare a few items, Song Que immediately took his leave.

An ordinary inn named Luo Yuan Residence. After putting on a slight disguise, Song Que checked into this place exactly as the letter from the Blood Robe had instructed. He didn't go anywhere for the entire afternoon, simply staying inside to eat, drink, sleep, and rest. Yet, even now, there was no sign of that thief. Perhaps he really had to wait until exactly tomorrow, February 14th, for him to appear as promised.

Just as he was thinking this and preparing to lie down to rest and conserve his energy, a series of rhythmic knocks came from the window outside. His Domain also immediately detected a faint, icy, and sinister aura lurking just behind the paper window. This was the third floor! Furthermore, Song Que had never met anyone capable of bypassing his radar detection.

But thinking of the other party's identity in the Demonic Cult and their myriad methods, Song Que immediately realized it was the Blood Robe who had caught wind of his arrival and sought him out. Intrigued, he stood up and opened the window. Standing on the windowsill was a paper effigy made of thin yellow paper, only the size of an ordinary person's palm.

Its body was scrawled with all sorts of chicken-scratch-like symbols, and its limbs were tightly bound with various tangled threads, making it dizzying to look at. Only when the window opened did it pull up its short arms and legs, walking properly like a normal human, taking a few steps on the air to fly into the room.

"Close the door!" The Blood Robe's unmistakable shrill, breathy voice rang out from the little paper effigy. Seeing such a sight for the first time, Song Que clicked his tongue in wonder. He swiftly closed the door and, without any fear, reached out to snatch the little thing and brought it up to his eyes to observe.

"Squeaaak....."

"Bastard! Let go!" Unexpectedly, the moment his hand touched the item, it struggled violently, emitting sizzling green smoke. Piercing, ghostly wails instantly erupted from its body, accompanied by the Blood Robe's furious shout. Seeing the aura on the effigy flickering, as if it could dissipate at any moment, Song Que embarrassedly let go and tossed it onto the table. By now, the paper effigy was swaying unsteadily like a drunkard, unable to even stand firm, taking a long while before it finally recovered.

"Bastard! You brat, you dare destroy one of this Venerable's Yellow Paper Effigies?!"

"Hehe, sorry about that, Venerable. I didn't know it was so fragile." This dog said he was sorry, but there was hardly any remorse on his face. The Blood Robe gritted his teeth in anger. If he wasn't in desperate need of manpower right now, this old man might have just barged in and given this brat a few claw strikes.

"A Blood Qi martial artist is the ultimate bane to ghost-type entities! Do you not even understand this basic common sense?! Hmph, for the sake of you arriving on time, this Venerable will magnanimously let you off this once."

"Hehe, many thanks, Venerable!" Master Song didn't show much fear, beaming happily as he thanked him. He was actually wishing he could find a chance to have a private 'chat' with this old dog. Knowing that this brat's tail was now too big to wag, beginning to feign compliance while secretly plotting against him, the Blood Robe—hiding in a secret location a distance away—flashed a cold glint in his eyes.

But as it was a crucial time to use people, he had no free time to bicker with this brat and quickly issued his orders.

"Prepare yourself well tomorrow afternoon. At the Shen hour, be present at a Mountain God Temple twenty miles outside the North Gate. At that time, someone will receive you. Remember well, if a stranger comes and asks you what the most beautiful flower in the world is, you must answer with the secret signal:'A white lotus growing on rootless pure soil.' Remember, do not make a mistake..." After speaking these words, the yellow paper effigy violently erupted in green smoke.

In the blink of an eye, it burned to crisp, fine ashes that scattered everywhere, leaving no trace behind.