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Chapter 108 The New Immortal Master
When Chen Xuan discovered these two abilities, he knew that Xu Xuanling had a bright future, so he decided to test her abilities in a tournament and also generate some buzz for the sect.

Since the ability detection involved his core interests, he naturally wouldn't reveal it to Xu Yuanqing.

"Go home and rest for a day today. Starting tomorrow, you'll be staying at the manor and cultivating with the other disciples," Chen Xuan said. "Of course, the arena matches will continue, since we've only finished half of them. Is that alright?"

“Yes, Sect Master.” Xu Xuanling readily agreed to the arrangement.

She herself had a vague sense that her strength had significantly improved compared to before her battle with the prodigy.

Moreover, she quite enjoyed the enthusiastic cheers from the audience when she sparred with others.

The feeling of her heart pounding and her blood boiling was something that her older brother could never experience when he was training her one-on-one.

At this time, Ahua approached Chen Xuan.

The girl simply stood discreetly within his sight, without approaching to speak. But the moment Chen Xuan noticed her, he knew there was news from Liu Shuyue.

After letting Xu Xuanling leave, he beckoned Ahua to his side, "Did you catch him?"

Ahua nodded. "It's right outside the manor."

Outside the manor? Chen Xuan was somewhat surprised; there was still a large group of spectators resting outside the manor. If the other party were an enemy, they certainly wouldn't be able to capture them so openly and legitimately.

"Take me to see it."

He followed Ahua out of the manor and came to the south side of the courtyard wall, where he found Liu Shuyue and Ajiu were indeed there. The villager that Ajiu had mentioned was also with them, but he didn't seem to be forced at all.

"And who is this...?" Chen Xuan stepped forward and asked.

"Master, Master!" Upon seeing Chen Xuan's jade token, the other party immediately tried to kneel down, but was stopped by Liu Shuyue.

“His name is Tu Bo, and he is a servant of the Zhang family,” Liu Shuyue said. “This is a misunderstanding.”

She then gave a brief account of what had happened.

Chen Xuan quickly understood what had happened—Tu Bo hadn't gone far before Liu Shuyue caught up with him, but instead of immediately taking control, she followed him to an inn outside the city gate, hoping to see if the mastermind would show up. After waiting for a long time without any progress, and after secretly observing and concluding that this person was most likely unrelated to the murderer, she and A Jiu finally appeared in their room.

With a little questioning, the other party revealed all the reasons for their visit.

It turned out that the Zhang family was not far from the Wei family where Ajiu lived, and they had some past acquaintances. Early that morning, the Zhang family was preparing to go hunting in the mountains. When they reached the mountainside, they saw black smoke rising from the direction of the Wei family. So they crossed half the mountain to check the situation, only to find that all the houses there had been burned to ruins.

After the embers died down, the Zhang family collected and buried all the bodies, but they couldn't find the two Wei family children. The Zhang family made their living by hunting, and after checking the situation in the yard, the eldest son, Zhang Tiegong, concluded that the two must have run away. So he went to the county town to ask someone to draw a portrait of the children based on their descriptions, and went to Feng County to search for them while also inquiring about news in Chang'an.

However, this method of searching for people was like looking for a needle in a haystack. The Zhang family could only send their servants here to try their luck, while their own family members still had to continue hunting in the mountains to avoid losing their livelihood.

That day, Ajiu met Tubo, but unfortunately he knew Zhang Tiegong, but did not recognize their servants.

It's rather strange that a hunter's family could afford to support servants.

"Why didn't you seek help from the Zhang family when you were fleeing for your life?" Chen Xuan asked.

“Because the murderer came from the direction of the mountains, I dared not run in that direction,” Ajiu answered honestly. “Moreover, the only place that can control cultivators is the Chang’an Immortal Alliance, which is why we thought of coming to Chang’an City.”

"Come here for a moment." Chen Xuan led the brother and sister aside and asked them privately, "What is the relationship between the Zhang family and the Wei family? Are you very familiar with each other?"

Ajiu nodded. "My family makes a living by collecting and growing medicinal herbs. The Zhang family often goes up the mountain to hunt. The two families live half a mountain apart and don't usually have much contact, but they will come to visit my parents during the Chinese New Year."

Ahua added, "And we'll also bring lots of food! Wild boar legs, sausages, and dried fox meat."

"Is it like this every year?" Chen Xuan asked in surprise.

“Yes, they usually come unless there’s a heavy snowfall that blocks the mountain passes,” Ajiu replied. “But they never stay for a meal; they leave as soon as they deliver the goods. Mother said our family helped them before, but she never told us in detail what we helped them with.”

"Are you sure their family makes a living by hunting?" Chen Xuan asked again.

“My family all say so, so it can’t be wrong, right?” Ajiu thought about it seriously. “After all, the people living in that area rely on the mountains for their livelihood.”

Chen Xuan nodded. It seemed the two families did indeed have a relationship, and the Zhang family was most likely not an ordinary hunting family. He had noticed earlier that the servant named Tu Bo had calluses all over his hands, something that someone who did farm work or housework couldn't develop. If Tu Bo was also skilled at hunting, that made even less sense, because for an ordinary hunting family, an experienced hunter was an indispensable source of productivity, if not a core member, then at least a right-hand man; he wouldn't just be treated as a servant.

"Immortal Master..." Ajiu hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

Ever since he took the two siblings to see the vast wilderness, Master Liu was still Master Liu, but he directly upgraded to Immortal Master.

"Just say what you want to say," Chen Xuan reassured them. He could tell that the two children were somewhat agitated.

"I want to go home and visit..." Ajiu said after hesitating for a moment.

"Of course, you can also go to the Zhang family to express your gratitude." "Really? Thank you so much, Immortal Master!"

Just as the two were about to kneel down, Chen Xuan stopped them, saying, "However, I also have some requirements. You can only take a look from afar, and you cannot approach the burial site, much less worship the grave. Master Liu and I will go with you, and you must not leave my sight at all. Is that alright?"

"Yes!" To everyone's surprise, the two responded quickly.

Ajiu stated frankly, "We understand that before our great revenge is achieved, we should refrain from any actions that might expose our whereabouts, and even going home to visit is unnecessary. The Immortal Master has already granted our wishful request, so we naturally dare not hope for anything more."

What a sensible child.

Chen Xuan patted their heads. "In that case, let's set off now."

"Now? Now?" The brother and sister were both taken aback.

"With Master Lin's abilities, he can get us to Feng County in just two hours. If we set off now, we might make it in time for the Zhang family's dinner."

Speed ​​is of the essence in war. Even if Tu Bo had a problem, he wouldn't have had time to spread the news. Once the survivors of the Wei family suddenly appeared at the Zhang family's residence, the truth would be revealed.

……

……

The Great Qi Dynasty, the capital city of Fengqi.

Inside the Nine Palaces.

With all the officials kneeling in obeisance, King Qi slowly walked up to the throne and sat on the magnificent and majestic dragon throne. "Rise, everyone."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The officials stood up in response, but all of them looked somewhat nervous.

The day news of the defeat at Jiufeng City in Yunzhou reached the capital, King Qi flew into a rage, beheaded two messengers, and then stormed off. For the next month, he secluded himself in the palace and refused to see anyone.

The entire court was filled with unease, and the topic of conversation was inextricably linked to the immortal master.

Everyone knows that Liu Shuyue occupied Jiufeng City at an incredible speed and led a group of rogue cultivators who appeared out of nowhere to defeat the three-state allied forces, including the vanguard army of the royal city. The latter even had very few survivors.

Suddenly, rumors spread throughout the royal city that the immortal master was going to raise the banner of rebellion and overthrow the rule of the King of Qi in one fell swoop.

At the same time, news also spread that the King of Qi had murdered his brother and father and that his accession to the throne was illegitimate.

Fortunately, Liu Shuyue remains entrenched in the Yunzhou area and shows no intention of advancing further into the heart of the kingdom, which has brought some relief to the officials. Even though the Qi Kingdom's immortal master has acted so rebelliously, the agreements between the Lianyun Sect and the various kingdoms may still be restraining her, preventing her from being too presumptuous.

But it was only a relief.

As long as Liu Shuyue's threat remains, they will have to bear the risk of Qi Wang's wrath at any time.

However, the situation seems to be a little different today.

King Qi's complexion was ruddy, his expression natural, and his demeanor dignified yet composed, a stark contrast to his previous tense demeanor.

"As you all know, I have treated Master Liu well. For five whole years, I have not restrained her willful behavior in any way. But in the end, all I got in return was estrangement and hostility."

"The root of all the problems facing the Great Qi lies in the lack of a diligent immortal master. If there were an immortal master, the Luo Kingdom's army would not dare to garrison the border; if there were an immortal master, the national treasury would not have to waste so much money on recruiting rogue cultivators; if there were an immortal master, the Great Qi would be able to become a hegemon that dominates a region! Even... unifying the six kingdoms would not be impossible!"

He exhaled a deep breath, "Today, this problem has been solved. I have found a new immortal master."

With a wave of his hand outside the palace gates of the Qi Dynasty, he commanded, "Summon Master Jiang to the palace!"

"Summon Master Jiang to the palace!" the guards relayed the order in turn.

A moment later, a man in blue robes walked steadily into the main hall. He looked to be under thirty, but his eyes were as calm as an ancient well, as if he had seen through the vicissitudes of life. He had a high, straight nose, thin, pale lips, and a sharply defined jawline, exuding an aura of unapproachability. His long hair was half-tied up and hung in front of his forehead, with an ebony hairpin inserted diagonally on his head. The rest of his hair cascaded down his shoulders like splashed ink, making anyone who saw him secretly think how handsome he was.

The courtiers began to whisper amongst themselves.

He ignored them and walked straight to the front of the throne, bowing to the King of Qi.

"Your subject, Jiang Ning, pays respects to Your Majesty!"

"Excellent, excellent, excellent!" King Qi laughed three times. "Master Jiang, you may dispense with the formalities. Everyone, take a good look; this capable man is the new Immortal Master of our Great Qi!"

(End of this chapter)