After Sheng Jun Chapter 12 (Part 2)
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 12 A Grand Show (part 2)
The guards at the door quickly helped their Pavilion Master up.
Seeing this, all the elders were shocked: Chi Yufeng was one of only twenty-plus Out of Body Stage powerhouses left in the world, yet he was sent flying by what seemed like a casual wave of the hand!
This showed that the power of the ancient spirit far exceeded their imagination.
The hall became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Chi Yufeng's face turned extremely ugly. Just as he got up, he heard a questioning voice from the front, "I haven't asked yet, what did Pavilion Master Chi do? Why did I lose control?"
Thump! Chi Yufeng's heart jumped – he had almost forgotten that he was the source of the disturbance.
He immediately changed his attitude, "I saw that after Daren came into contact with the Phoenix Blood, you fell into a deep sleep, so I quickly had our sect members treat your injuries here."
Each word was spoken earnestly, with a convincing expression.
In his mind, he was quickly drafting how to cover up this lie—it would be best to play the victim, claim that the clash of ancient bloodlines nearly destroyed their sect's treasure, and thereby attempt moral manipulation...
"No wonder," Jiang Xingzhi said calmly. "After all, that drop of ancient Phoenix Blood was fake."
Chi Yufeng suddenly raised his head, "That's impossible!"
"Wasn't Pavilion Master Chi also suspicious of its authenticity, which is why you invited me to authenticate it?"
Jiang Xingzhi finished speaking while sincerely touching his chest, "Ancient bloodline, guaranteed genuine."
Zhong Ming glanced over, vaguely remembering that was where Jiang Xingzhi kept his Moon-Holding Pearls...
The surrounding elders exchanged glances, their shock gradually turning to suspicion: perhaps there really was something wrong with the Phoenix Blood? After all, they hadn't seen the Divine Lamp being suppressed; instead, it had nearly gone berserk.
Moreover, the Phoenix Blood had knocked out the Pavilion Master with the jade bottle—that green bump was still visible on his forehead.
Hearing this, Chi Yufeng almost cursed: what nonsense about it being fake, that was just an excuse! The critical thing was that these muddle-headed people in front of him seemed to actually believe this nonsense.
Blood rushed to his head, and Chi Yufeng grabbed a candlestick, the firelight illuminating his fierce expression. "Phoenix Blood doesn't melt in fire or dissolve in water, one drop can pierce gold and stone, and is lethal upon contact with blood. Watch carefully!"
Jiang Xingzhi: "..."
Zhong Ming: "..."
Wow.
Jiang Xingzhi politely said, "Please proceed."
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Chi Yufeng coldly snorted and took out that drop of "Phoenix Blood" from the jade bottle, holding it over the candlefire. "How could my Qingfeng Pavilion's precious treasure possibly..."
Whoosh! The "Phoenix Blood" was instantly engulfed by flames, making sizzling sounds.
Seeing that drop of wax about to fall with a "plop," Jiang Xingzhi used his divine consciousness to dissolve it.
As the flames died down, there was nothing left above the candlestick.
The elders were dumbfounded: It was fake!
The guards were also dumbfounded: It was fake!
Chi Yufeng was completely shaken, his eyes bulging, "Where is my Phoenix Blood!"
Jiang Xingzhi calmly replied, "Perhaps after its true identity was exposed, it fled out of guilt."
Chi Yufeng: "..."
Thud! His vision went black and he fainted again.
****
Jiang Xingzhi was very patient, sitting in Wangyuan Pavilion drinking tea and enjoying the scenery with Zhong Ming. They waited until the sun began to set in the west, when the unconscious Pavilion Master Chi finally regained consciousness for the second time.
Chi Yufeng had to be supported into Wangyuan Pavilion.
Returning to the old place, with the same scenery and the same people, yet everyone's state of mind was vastly different.
This time he had not only failed to gain anything but had lost everything, leaving him unable to explain himself, to the point where he felt empty inside when he sat down.
But while he was weak, the person opposite him looked even more pale.
Jiang Xingzhi sat opposite him, coughing and breathing heavily, as if he hadn't recovered from the earlier incident, completely appearing like an innocent victim.
"Don't worry, Pavilion Master Chi, I won't spread word that Qingfeng Pavilion keeps a fake Phoenix Blood; nor will I mention that this fake Phoenix Blood went out of control and nearly damaged everyone's Divine Lamp."
His choice of words was extremely precise, not only building layer upon layer but also adding "everyone's." In just a few words, he seemed to have made enemies for Qingfeng Pavilion across the realm.
Chi Yufeng closed his eyes tightly and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth, "That is... most kind of Daren."
Fearing further discussion would cause the other party to develop heart demons, Jiang Xingzhi changed the subject.
"Speaking of which, when I was in that confused state earlier, I seemed to hear a voice in my nightmare mention the 'Kongxuan Secret Realm.' Have any of you heard of it?"
Since ancient times, all secret realms contained treasures and opportunities. Chi Yufeng's attention was temporarily drawn away.
He exchanged glances with the elders and guards beside him, "Never heard of it."
Jiang Xingzhi asked again, "Then have you heard of a place called 'You Lake'?"
Back then, the Kongxuan Secret Realm had opened in the center of You Lake, with its outermost ring filled with weak water that couldn't float a feather, and the entrance to the secret realm was in the air above the lake's center.
Chi Yufeng had no energy to speak, so he gestured for the Grand Elder to respond, "We haven't heard of 'You Lake,' but there is a 'Youpo Lake.' It's said countless cultivators went there and never returned, all becoming lake-bottom ghosts, hence the name."
Jiang Xingzhi appeared thoughtful and asked about its location, which indeed matched the direction of "You Lake" from a thousand years later.
This meeting had already lost its purpose to continue, and Chi Yufeng no longer wished to see Jiang Xingzhi's face, so both parties bid farewell.
Before leaving, Jiang Xingzhi turned to look at the dispirited Chi Yufeng and patted his shoulder.
"Pavilion Master Chi, don't forget the six-word maxim I gave you."
Six-character maxim?
As the curtained carriage carrying the two swiftly passed over layered peaks and mountains, amid the clear sound of bells, Chi Yufeng slowly remembered—
Cultivate more, dream less.
****
After leaving Qingfeng Pavilion, it was sunset.
Jiang Xingzhi sat in the carriage gazing at poetry and the distance, the clear wind lifting his high-bound hair, some strands brushing against Zhong Ming's face, soft and ticklish.
He didn't notice, and Zhong Ming didn't dodge.
Jiang Xingzhi was still filtering through the information received today: As one of the Six Great Upper Sects, if Qingfeng Pavilion hadn't received news of the Kongxuan Secret Realm, other sects probably wouldn't have either.
—But it couldn't be completely ruled out, so it was still necessary to visit all the other major sects.
"Thinking about the secret realm?" A voice fell from beside him.
Jiang Xingzhi turned his head, that floating strand of hair moving away with him, "You're not going to ask how I knew about the secret realm?"
Those made-up stories of his could only fool the people of Qingfeng Pavilion.
Zhong Ming was used to it, "No need to ask, saves you the trouble of making up more stories."
Jiang Xingzhi lowered his eyes and smiled, "Brother Bai understands me."
When he first met Bai Mu, he only felt the man was difficult to get along with, but now he seemed a rare compatible companion.
The response was an noncommittal "Hmm."
Jiang Xingzhi didn't mind, returning to the main topic, "Opening the secret realm requires quite a few conditions, I can't achieve it alone. The next few days when we attend banquets at other sects, it's a good chance to spread some rumors and test the waters."
Zhong Ming frowned, "How will you explain it?"
They couldn't exactly say it was dreamed up during a nightmare at Qingfeng Pavilion—every word would sound puzzling.
"What explanation is needed when we have a ready-made reason?"
The carriage was flying westward, the sunset casting a golden glow on Jiang Xingzhi's face, making him look incredibly divine.
He smiled serenely, "Just say this Lamp has come to spread divine prophecy."