466 - A Sect Leader’s Ascension

Chapter 466: Unexpected Visitors from the Jiang Family As Qi Xiu partially unlocked the seal, he already felt the potent power of the fire element emanating from the fifth-tier spirit beast's inner core gifted to him. "So powerful! I can barely control it!" A trace of fear emerged within him, and even the red-tail monkey in his sea of consciousness uneasily twisted in its sleep. After all, a fifth-tier existence, even reduced to a spirit within an inner core, is nothing to be treated lightly. Hastily, he resealed it and decided to focus on studying the refining technique provided by the Nangong family along with the core. "A millennium-old 'Xuan Silver Ice Tear'? Just the name suggests it's an incredibly expensive fourth-tier object, yet it's merely an auxiliary ingredient for refining the blazing sun bird's inner core, and they sent three of them? The Nangong family might as well have provided the auxiliary materials, seeing as they already sent me a fifth-tier core..." Qi Xiu instinctively furrowed his brow but soon broke into a smile. "Heh, I guess old habits die hard. I've earned quite a bit these past years, and as long as I'm willing to spend spirit stones, there's nothing I can't buy." 'Swoosh~' While pondering over dispatching a message to Mo Jianxin for the procurement, a communication talisman lightly floated through the formation protecting his abode, fluttering delicately by the entrance. A casual flick, and the talisman ignited without wind, as Mo Jianxin's voice conveyed, "Master Uncle, people from the Jiang family insist on seeing you. They've come three times in the past half year, though we've kept them at bay to avoid disturbing your advancement. However, it can't be delayed any longer, so if convenient, it would be best to meet them." "The Jiang family? What do they want with me?" With a flick of his wrist, Qi Xiu stowed the blazing sun bird's core into his storage bag and deliberated for a moment before opening the seal to his secluded abode to invite the Jiang family. Having sent several messages after handling various matters, Mo Jianxin was aware that Qi Xiu's retreat had concluded and waited by the door. Not long after, Mo Jianxin led a Jiang family cultivator into the chamber. "Friend Qi." The visitor stood with a proud demeanor, first cupping his hands in greeting. Recognizing this was the person who had escorted Qin Siyao back for a marriage annulment, Qi Xiu forced a cordial smile despite the unpleasant memories from sixty years ago, "Brother Jiang, it's been a while." He couldn't help but feign a smile to invite him to sit. The Jiang family's Golden Core cultivator accepted the spirit tea served by Mo Jianxin but placed it aside without speaking, merely clearing his throat once. "Master Uncle, Senior Jiang, I'll take my leave now," Mo Jianxin understood and bowed out, leaving the space for the two of them. It seemed to involve a confidential matter, and just as Qi Xiu was about to initiate a conversation, the Jiang family's Golden Core unexpectedly raised his voice in a peculiar tone, "A few decades ago, a Qi Refining disciple in my family passed away..." "Huh..." Qi Xiu was taken aback, thinking, "What does a death in your family have to do with me?" "A few decades back, he worked in our family's Black River village enterprise..." The Jiang family cultivator loftily lifted his chin, fixing a gaze laced with a hint of aggression on Qi Xiu's face. "He once smuggled a storage bag for some sect into Jiang Yan's hands, and soon after, Jiang Yan advanced rapidly, eventually getting discovered for colluding with ghost cultivators during a trial at Black River Peak. He was terrified and didn't dare tell anyone, only confessing on his deathbed. " Unexpectedly, it was about that matter; back then, Qin Siyao asked Qi Xiu to look out for her cherished son. To appease her, he had secretly arranged to send something to Jiang Yan. "So? What do you want from me?" Qi Xiu couldn't comprehend what the Jiang family wanted and was reluctant to admit anything outright, choosing instead to play along. "Hmph!" The Jiang family cultivator looked displeased and sternly demanded, "Stop pretending! It was you who sent things to Jiang Yan! What exactly did you give him!? This Jiang Yan, whom even my Qi Yun nascent soul family couldn't remedy in cultivation issues, had breakthroughs overnight! And coincidentally, was accompanied by a ghost cultivator all along?" It dawned on Qi Xiu that the Jiang family misunderstood, assuming the ghost cultivator was connected to the item he sent. The timing could be seen as coincidental, leaving Qi Xiu a bit irked. Had he resolved to decline Qin Siyao back then, Jiang Yan might never have advanced, subsequently avoiding all ensuing troubles. It was unfathomable that despite decades having passed, Jiang Yan remained at large, leaving Qi Xiu to handle the aftermath. The Jiang family's actions seemed odd, first acknowledging the favor he did by not handing Jiang Yan directly to the Nangong family, and now using the secret of assisting Jiang Yan to pressure him, which felt absurdly contradictory. Since there was truth to that past event, Qi Xiu decided to speak openly, "It's merely a secret technique of the Chu Qin Sect that I passed on. Just because the Jiang family couldn't resolve his issues doesn't mean we lacked the means. As for the ghost cultivator, Jiang Yan is your family's person, having grown up under your roof. If he befriends the wrong crowd, that's hardly something distant me should be blamed for, is it?" His words carried thorns, further irritating the visitor, who stood abruptly and retorted, "Ridiculous, ridiculous! Who are you to question our family's teaching methods? Don't think just because my family's influence is currently below that of the double Chu, you can look down on us! Truth be told, the Chu clan's ancestor Chu Zhen rose from humble beginnings, prospering for a millennium, but our Jiang family, a lineage spanning ten thousand years, holds deeper roots than your main family!" Such a trivial comment provoked the visitor to indignation, leaving Qi Xiu speechless. The Jiang family seemed to have once been prominent, now struggling to find the right balance. "In any case, Jiang Yan's dealings with the ghost cultivator have nothing to do with me, and you didn't come here just to quarrel, did you?" The other party wouldn't express childish defiance without reason, and the persistent visits over half a year suggested an ulterior motive. Otherwise, they could have simply inquired through the Qi Yun enforcement peak instead of personally confronting Qi Xiu. "Heh, I indeed have matters to discuss with you, but the foundation of it all lies in you proving the method you gave to Jiang Yan works and isn't a demonic art!" The Jiang family cultivator sneered. "That technique was personally developed by a disciple from the Chu Qin Sect, naturally not an evil art," Qi Xiu replied with a mirroring sneer, "Beyond that, it's a secret amongst our sect. To have gifted it to Jiang Yan, seeing he was my honorary grandson, spared me sharing it with him alone. So why should I present it to you?" "You!" The Jiang family cultivator pointed accusingly at Qi Xiu's chest, seemingly poised to hurl harsh words, then unexpectedly relaxed with a smile, "Hehe, from your time here in Baishan, you do possess some nerve. Alright! No need for clandestine gestures in front of an honest man, as long as you can prove before my family's patriarch that the technique was effective for Jiang Yan and isn't evil, there's a handsome reward awaiting you, interested?" "What kind of good deal?" The scoundrel indeed attempted deceit; Qin Yun wouldn't have known how he'd be extorted had he been weak-hearted. Suppressing inner disdain, Qi Xiu reached out to inquire. "Something certainly to your liking, but the meeting must remain confidential; we need to finalize the agreement..." After finalizing arrangements for the covert meeting with the other party's patriarch, the Jiang family visitor departed. Qi Xiu used his All-Seeing Heavenly Eye to track him until he left his sensory range, noticing nothing unusual. "Sigh! It seems staying secluded isn’t possible for the time being..." With a sigh, he summoned Mo Jianxin back, "Is there a cause for celebration recently, something allowing me to present myself among both insiders and the public?" Mo Jianxin pondered briefly, smiling, and deliberately brushed off his robes, performing an exaggerated bow and exclaiming, "Congratulations to Master Uncle on advancing to the mid-stage realm!" "You, growing old and developing humor..." Even Qi Xiu was amused, "Keep it simple, go make arrangements."