“Farewell.” Yu Shangrong turned to glance at the disciples on the sword altar and nodded at them perfunctorily with a faint smile on his face. His body flashed away, and in just a blink of an eye, he was already 100 feet away. In the next second, he passed through the altar’s barriers and vanished.
Luo Shisan felt the pressure lift from his shoulders. He quickly descended. As soon as he descended, he staggered slightly
“Master!” Two of Luo Shishan’s disciples ran up to him to support him.
Luo Shisan calmed himself down before saying, “Notify the elders that I’ve changed my mind… Ding Fanqiu is a core disciple of the Yun Sect. The sable magnolia is but an object. A man’s life is worth much more. Agree to the exchange.”
“Understood.”
…
In a pavilion among the mountains that was several miles away from the sword altar.
Si Wuya looked in the direction of the sword altar and said with a smile, “Second Senior Brother, you made an exception for Little Junior Sister. What a surprise!”
Yu Shangrong leaned on one of the pavilion’s posts and said, “Little Junior Sister has extraordinary talents. It’d be a waste if she couldn’t open her sea of Qi… Rules are made by humans, and the decision of men trumps the heavens’.”
“I heard that the Yun Sect has refused to trade its sable magnolia with the Evil Sky Pavilion… Now that you’ve added oil to the fire, Second Senior Brother, there will be two kinds of outcomes…” Si Wuya said confidently, “One, the Yun Sect will be driven into a corner and start a fight with the Evil Sky Pavilion. Two, the Yun Sect will submit and agree to the exchange. Second Senior Brother, aren’t you worried the Yun Sect will choose the first option?”
“Old Seventh, I know that you’re intelligent… You should understand the most basic reason in this world,” Yu Shangrong said with a smile.
“Do enlighten me, Second Senior Brother.”
“If they’re unwilling to submit… Just clobber them.” Yu Shangrong shook his head after he said this. “However, I don’t really like to resort to violence.”
When Si Wuya heard this, he cupped his fists and said, “One statement from you is better than ten years’ worth of studies, Second Senior Brother.”
“Keep an eye on the Yun Sect for me…” Yu Shangrong said.
“Don’t worry, Second Senior Brother.”
“I’ll have to trouble you then.”
“You’re being too polite, Senior Brother.” Si Wuya bowed and cupped his fists. When he looked up, Yu Shangrong’s words were still ringing in his ears, but Yu Shangrong’s figure had vanished. He said with a smile, “I hope that Little Junior Sister is truly as innocent and pure as my senior brothers think. Otherwise, their efforts would be wasted.”
…
The next day, in the Evil Sky Pavilion’s great hall.
The disciples stood in a line on each side.
Lu Zhou was still thinking of a way to negotiate with the Yun Sect and obtain the sable magnolia.
The Yun Sect’s eight altars were full of experts.
The current Evil Sky Pavilion was not what it once was. If it had its first and second disciples, it would be unstoppable no matter where they went in Great Yan.
Currently, Hua Wudao was its strongest member. Fan Xiuwen was still recuperating. Ye Tianxin was reforming her dantian’s sea of Qi, and she did not even count as an Evil Sky Pavilion’s disciple. Zhao Yue had only recovered half of her cultivation base, and she had yet to enter the Nascent Divinity Tribulation realm. Therefore, it would not be wise to deal with the Yun Sect using force.
‘How about stealing?’ The unrealistic idea surfaced in Lu Zhou’s mind.
At this moment, a voice rang from outside.
“Elder Hua is here.”
Outside the great hall, Hua Wudao seemed to be filled with vigor. There even seemed to be a spring in his step when he walked in. He cupped his fists at Lu Zhou. “Pavilion Master, the Yun Sect has written back… They’ve agreed to trade their sable magnolia for Ding Fanqiu. Their special envoy is heading here as we speak,” he said.
Lu Zhou’s heart fluttered slightly. However, his wizened face looked calm as he said, “They’ve changed their mind?”
“Well…” Hua Wudao did not know why the Yun Sect suddenly changed its mind. He was once from the Yun Sect so he knew how difficult it was for the seven altars to reach a consensus. It was reasonable for the Yun Sect to refuse the Evil Sky Pavilion’s demand for a sable magnolia. Their sudden change was truly a surprise.
However, that was not important. Since they agreed to make the exchange, it was for the best.
“Pavilion Master, since the Yun Sect has agreed to the terms, why don’t we seize this opportunity to improve our relationships… Although the Evil Sky Pavilion is powerful, it has too many enemies. When you… In the future, Pavilion Master…” Hua Wudao paused. He wanted to mention the ten-years limit, but he felt that it would be inappropriate. He continued, “Having another ally is always better than another foe.”
Lu Zhou glanced at him. “Elder Hua, it’s good that you have such sentiments… However, the Evil Sky Pavilion has no need for such an ally,” he said indifferently.
“In the future…”
“We’ll leave tomorrow’s troubles for tomorrow,” Lu Zhou sounded confident as he said, “I have time on my hands.”
Hua Wudao no longer dared to say anything else. Perhaps, he was still new to the Evil Sky Pavilion. His style was not compatible with the Evil Sky Pavilion’s style yet. However, there was no rushing these things. He decided to take it slowly. At the very least, he could accept the way things were done in the Evil Sky Pavilion up until now.
“Pavilion Master, even if the Yun Sect is willing to trade their sable magnolia… One magnolia is still not enough to open up a person’s sea of Qi,” Hua Wudao pointed out.
Lu Zhou nodded and said, “Do you know how many sable magnolias there are?”
Hua Wudao said, “From what I know, there are five. There’s one in the Yun Sect, the second one is in the hands of the Duanlin branch southwest of Great Yan, the third one is in Rongbei, the fourth one is in the Heaven Choice Temple, and the fifth one… Well, I don’t know where it is.”
Hua Wudao’s words were in line with Lu Zhou’s knowledge.
Lu Zhou stroked his beard and said, “In your opinion, from whom should I obtain the second magnolia from?”
“The Duanlin branch is far away in the southwest… Rongbei is beyond Great Yan, so… only the Heaven Choice Temple is left,” Hua Wudao said, “The Heaven Choice Temple is on good terms with the Temple of Great Emptiness. They’re both Buddhist temples… The Buddhist temples never involved themselves in the conflicts between the Noble and Fiend Paths. If they’re open to negotiations, we can try to negotiate with them.”
Hua Wudao’s words seemed reasonable enough.
At this moment, Mingshi Yin, who had remained silent at the side for a long time, said, “Master, I have a plan.”
“What is it?”
“Old Eighth has always been on good terms with the Heaven Choice Temple… We can send him to negotiate with them,” Mingshi Yi said.
“Good terms?”
“After Old Eighth has left the Evil Sky Pavilion, he has made great effort to get onto the Heaven Choice Temple’s good books in order to obtain a method to save his own life. The zen tunic he’s wearing is from the Heaven Choice Temple,” Mingshi Yin said.
“Bring him here,” Lu Zhou said.
“Yes, master.” Mingshi Yin eagerly ran to fetch Zhu Honggong.
In no time at all, Mingshi Yin was leading a puzzled Zhu Honggong into the great hall.
Zhu Honggong had lost some weight over the past month. When he returned to the great hall, he still felt nervous. He was behaving even worse than a newcomer. His eyes kept darting around everywhere. He fell to his knees and said reverently, “Greetings, master! May you live to see a thousand autumns and ten thousand generations. May you live forever and ever!”
Mingshi Yin frowned. ‘This pig is really stealing my spotlight!’
Lu Zhou said, “Old Eighth, since you were tricked into committing your sins, I’m now giving you a chance to redeem yourself.”
When Zhu Honggong heard this, he was overjoyed. He said, “I’m willing to redeem myself. I won’t even frown if I have to climb a mountain of blades, plunge into a sea of fire, or walk with knives on my sides!”
“Very good,” Lu Zhou said, “I hereby choose you to bring back the sable magnolia from the Heaven Choice Temple.
Zhu Honggong was puzzled. ‘Heaven Choice Temple?’ He was momentarily stunned. A bitter expression appeared on his face, but he did not dare to oppose his master.
When Lu Zhou saw the reluctance on Zhu Honggong’s face, he asked, “What? You’re unwilling?”
“No, no, no… I’m willing! I’ll surely return with the sable magnolia!” Zhu Honggong pulled a long face and spoke with zero sincerity.
Mingshi Yin said with a smile, “Hurry up then. It shouldn’t be a problem for you, judging by your relationship with them. Believe me, we won’t put you in harm’s way. Remember, you’re only there to negotiate. Send word to us if anything happens…”
“I’ll head out right away.” Zhu Honggong nodded and bowed. He walked backward out of the great hall.
Lu Zhou looked at him leaving until he was out of sight before saying, “When will the Yun Sect’s special envoy arrive?”
“In six hours.”
