Xuanyuan Liekong held the wooden box with both hands and respectfully presented it to Zhang Ruochen.
In any case, taking a look would not hurt.
Zhang Ruochen opened the wooden box and glanced inside. His pupils suddenly contracted.
Inside lay a piece of tortoise shell.
“This is a missing page from the *Xiantian Dao Fa*, a supreme treasure of the Daoist sect. I believe Fellow Daoist Yellow Ox recognises it? Is this medical gift considered sincere enough?” the voice from the carriage asked.
Zhang Ruochen’s expression shifted repeatedly. Waves surged in his heart as many thoughts flashed through his mind.
He slowly closed the wooden box and returned it.
Zhang Ruochen said, “I am very curious. Your Excellency should be from the Wanxu Realm, right? The Xuanyuan clan has no particular connection with the fox clan, does it? Why is it you, rather than a demon clan god, who has come to invite this poor daoist?”
“Granny Tianhu possesses supreme cultivation and has achieved countless military exploits on the starry battlefield. This young master greatly admires her. I do not wish for her to be tormented by the Three Evils Corpse Poison, to the point that she might fail to survive the Yuanhui tribulation in the future. Even less do I wish for one who gathers firewood for all to perish frozen in the snow.” The voice from the carriage spoke thus.
How could Zhang Ruochen believe such nonsense? He said, “Since Your Excellency is so enthusiastic, you should seek a Buddhist divine monk to help.”
Xuanyuan Liekong said, “My young master previously stepped forward and persuaded a great Buddhist god to act, purifying a large amount of the Three Evils Corpse Poison for Granny Tianhu. However, it has never been possible to remove it completely.”
This time, Zhang Ruochen was genuinely somewhat surprised!
He had heard that Granny Tianhu had deeply offended the Buddhist sect. It was only through great connections that a great Buddhist god was persuaded to detoxify her corpse poison.
Could that “great connection” be the mysterious person in the carriage?
If so, the appearance of this golden carriage to intercept him here was probably not some conspiracy or deliberate attempt to target him.
But who exactly was the person in the carriage?
They could not possibly lack a deep relationship with Granny Tianhu.
Zhang Ruochen said, “I very much want to know who told Your Excellency that this poor daoist can detoxify the Three Evils Corpse Poison?”
“That cannot be said.” The person in the carriage replied.
“In that case, this poor daoist will not go. Come, this way!”
Zhang Ruochen patted Old Yellow Ox on the rump, bypassed the golden carriage, and strode away.
The Xuanyuan clan great saints standing below the golden carriage all had cold expressions, their killing intent soaring. Even though the other party was a god, daring to show such disrespect to the young master in the carriage, they feared nothing. They were ready to fight to the death without regret.
They could already be called great saint-level death warriors.
Moments later, the sound of turning wheels caught up.
The voice from the golden carriage said, “This young master still holds some influence in the Tianchu Civilization. If the Kunlun Realm is willing to accept the fire seed of the Tianchu Civilization, I believe it would indeed be an excellent destination. Elder Taishang truly respects life and loves the natural way of the Dao. He would certainly treat the cultivators of the Tianchu Civilization well.”
“So this can also be a condition?” Zhang Ruochen said.
The voice said, “This young master truly only wishes to save someone, and truly believes the Kunlun Realm is one of the best places for the Tianchu Civilization’s fire seed.”
Zhang Ruochen politely refused. “It is not that this poor daoist is unwilling to help Senior Tianhu resolve the corpse poison, but my cultivation is low and I lack the ability.”
“Are you unwilling even to attempt it?” the voice in the carriage asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, “I dare not attempt it.”
“Very well! This young master respects fellow daoist’s choice and will not force you. However, these two conditions will remain valid. Even if fellow daoist truly cannot detoxify the poison, as long as you are willing to try your best, they will still count.”
“Rumble!”
The nine Bone Clan god spirits pulled the golden carriage and sped away rapidly.
Zhang Ruochen gazed intently, his mind unclear. He thought to himself, “Just what is this person’s background?”
Gradually, Zhang Ruochen’s expression turned colder.
Women’s words were becoming less and less trustworthy.
At first, Zhang Ruochen thought this was another scheme by Feng Qi.
But when the other party produced the remnant volume of the *Xiantian Dao Fa*, Zhang Ruochen began to suspect Feng Xi.
By the time the other party directly revealed his identity as a Kunlun Realm cultivator, Zhang Ruochen was certain that he had been betrayed by Feng Xi! Only Feng Xi knew he came from the Kunlun Realm.
Clearing the miscellaneous thoughts from his mind, Zhang Ruochen soon arrived at the Luo God Mansion.
Standing outside the mansion, one could see numerous divine halls towering within, grand and majestic, nestled among mountains. Divine qi was dense, with various exotic beasts flying in the mid-air.
But even with divine eyes, one could not see the full scene inside.
The protective arrays were built along the mansion walls, which were as tall as city walls, inscribed with Daoist hexagram seals.
Before going to pay his respects, Zhang Ruochen first spotted Feng Xi across from the Luo God Mansion. Immediately, his wrinkled face showed a trace of anger.
This anger was half genuine, half feigned.
Feng Xi approached gracefully, like fine rain in the wind. Her beautiful eyes flowed with deep apology. She said, “I knew Fellow Daoist Yellow Ox would certainly come to visit Uncle Luo, so I have been waiting here for some time.”
Zhang Ruochen tilted his chin up and said, “In the future, Your Excellency had better not mention the words ‘fellow daoist’ in front of this poor daoist.”
Feng Xi’s expression turned bitter. “Is fellow daoist unwilling even to give Xi a chance to explain?”
“Is an explanation still needed?”
Zhang Ruochen leaped down from Old Yellow Ox’s back, his gaze cold.
Feng Xi walked up to him and said, “In fellow daoist’s heart, is Xi the kind of person who would betray a friend? If I had truly betrayed you, why would I personally wait here, just to meet fellow daoist and explain the full cause and effect?”
Zhang Ruochen was, after all, a soft-hearted person. He entered a tea house across from the Luo God Mansion together with Feng Xi.
A tea house able to open across from the Luo God Mansion was naturally extraordinary. It offered up to a thousand varieties of saint tea from various realms.
Unfortunately, in these times, few still had the leisure to enjoy tea!
Feng Xi was evidently acquainted with the tea house owner. She ordered the most precious tea in the shop and personally handed the steaming yellow clay teacup to Zhang Ruochen with her soft, jade-like hands.
“This is spring buds from the Divine Chun Tree, harvestable only once every thirty-two thousand years. Fellow daoist, please try it?” she said.
Zhang Ruochen did not take the teacup. He said, “Is this something that can be resolved with a single cup of tea?”
Feng Xi sighed faintly. “Xi truly admires fellow daoist’s character and Daoist arts. I do not wish to lose you as a friend. Does fellow daoist know who the person who approached you earlier was?”
“Who?”
This was something Zhang Ruochen was genuinely interested in.
Feng Xi said, “The son of the Heavenly Venerable, Xuanyuan Lian.”
Zhang Ruochen drew in a sharp breath, then his gaze froze. “No wonder!”
“Young Master Lian has always been very mysterious. Few have seen his true appearance. Yet for the past hundred thousand years, he has travelled among the various worlds, resolving conflicts between gods of different realms, preventing countless disputes in Heaven. He represents the Heavenly Venerable, so everyone gives him face.”
Feng Xi continued, “Now fellow daoist should understand why he wants to help Granny Tianhu, right?”
Zhang Ruochen said, “But I do not understand. Even if he is the son of the Heavenly Venerable, there was no need for you to betray this poor daoist because of it.”
Feng Xi said, “Xi did not betray fellow daoist. Your origins were guessed by him. With his status, he could not investigate fellow daoist directly, but he could check the Feng clan, the Tianchu Civilization, and the Five Elements Temple. By investigating one by one, he naturally arrived at the answer! As for who told Young Master Lian that fellow daoist has the ability to detoxify the Three Evils Corpse Poison, I believe fellow daoist can guess without Xi explaining in detail.”
“Feng Qi? Jiuwei Xinhu?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Feng Xi said, “Feng Qi.”
Recalling how he had confronted her angrily without clarifying first, Zhang Ruochen felt ashamed.
Looking at Feng Xi again, born into the Feng clan and a god herself, yet to explain to him, she had waited here alone. It could be called humble and sincere.
Zhang Ruochen picked up the teacup from the table and said, “Fellow Daoist Xi, this poor daoist misunderstood you! This cup is my apology!”
With that, he took a sip.
“Good tea!” Zhang Ruochen praised.
A captivating smile appeared in Feng Xi’s lively and clear eyes. She lifted her teacup with both hands and said, “Being able to clear the air with fellow daoist means Xi no longer has to worry and fret.”
“True friendship does not need to undergo such tests?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Feng Xi’s smile was like a spring breeze brushing the face. She said, “This has also allowed Xi to see fellow daoist’s frank side! Being able to apologise to a cultivator of lower cultivation than oneself is an even more precious quality. Unlike those immature young cultivators who, even knowing they have wronged someone they care about, stubbornly refuse to say a word of reconciliation.”
Who was this subtly referring to?
Feng Yan?
Zhang Ruochen felt something off about Feng Xi’s gaze. What did it mean? Could it be that this elder sister Feng Yan actually liked the mature type like Daoist Yellow Ox?
That did not seem right!
Feng Xi and Daoist Yellow Ox had only met a few times.
In truth, Zhang Ruochen was merely too close to see clearly. Whether it was him helping Feng clan cultivators resolve the Yin Shang Corpse Poison or assisting the Tianchu Civilization in guarding the Divine Chun Tree in the sea domain forbidden zone, these were things ordinary people could not do.
In contrast to the actions of Feng Qi and others at the time, his rare and precious qualities stood out.
Moreover, when Feng Xi learned that the Feng clan had been schemed against by Feng Qi, Jiuwei Xinhu, and Lord Juyu, she was in an extremely dangerous position, at risk of being silenced at any moment.
During that time, it was Zhang Ruochen who walked through it with her, subtly giving her enough confidence and a sense of security.
Furthermore, Zhang Ruochen had directly taken out the Qingping Sword to show her. In her view, this was the greatest trust he could offer.
Precisely because of this, in a very short time, she had come to regard Zhang Ruochen as a daoist friend.
The term “daoist friend” meant both a fellow seeker of the Dao and a close friend.
To have one was already rare.
To have both was worthy of being called “daoist friend”.
A true “daoist friend” was not something merely spoken.
Of course, all this had only made Feng Xi develop sufficient fondness for the unremarkable Daoist Yellow Ox. If this fondness continued to ferment, it was not impossible for it to rise to the level of romantic love between man and woman.
But for now, it was far from that.
Zhang Ruochen stood up and said, “I still have important matters and need to visit Fellow Daoist Luo. I will take my leave here.”
“Uncle Luo is not at the Luo God Mansion. He has gone to the God King Mansion,” Feng Xi said.
