Chapter 60: Senior Brother

Jiang Fengnian was one hundred and fifty years old. A Foundation Establishment cultivator’s lifespan was two hundred years, and given his cultivation and spiritual roots, he had virtually no hope of advancing to the Golden Core Stage. Even his chances of reaching the mid-Foundation Establishment Stage were slim.

But because cultivators were filled with spiritual energy, their physical functions were far stronger than those of ordinary people. Although the Foundation Establishment Stage did not grant eternal youth, he looked like a middle-aged man in his early forties, appearing even younger than He Gan, the master of Tinghe Villa.

Such were the benefits of cultivation.

“So you are esteemed disciples of Yonglu Mountain. Forgive me for not welcoming you properly. My daughter is indeed at home, but unfortunately… as you can see, something has happened at home, so I’m afraid we won’t be of much help to you.”

Hearing this, Bian Chunzhou was secretly surprised. He had just been wondering why Senior Sister Jiang Ying had not returned home to mourn, but now it turned out she was indeed home. Perhaps he really had been overthinking things.

“You jest, Uncle Jiang. It is we who arrived at an inopportune time. Unfortunately, my eyes cannot see, so I failed to notice the white mourning banners hanging at the entrance right away.”

Bian Chunzhou whipped his head around in shock. Friend, why are you suddenly speaking so bluntly?!

When a cultivator perished, if they had living relatives, they would hang a spirit banner at the entrance so passing cultivators would know a fellow Daoist had passed away. The type of spirit banner varied depending on the cultivator’s cultivation realm when they died.

If the Jiang Family were holding a proper funeral, they should have hung a Qi Refining spirit banner. Even if Wen Xu was blind, he would have sensed it immediately. Wen Xu spoke casually, as if making idle conversation, but to Jiang Fengnian’s ears, it sounded like something else entirely.

The people from the Yunxia Sect could be easily dismissed, but Yonglu Mountain could not. Moreover, this disciple had a master at the Body Integration Stage.

A Divine Venerable of the Body Integration Stage was someone he had never seen in his entire life. Yet, some people could soar to the heavens in a single step relying on their talent. Jiang Fengnian sighed with emotion. Thinking of his two daughters’ current situations, his heart was naturally filled with mixed emotions.

“To tell you the truth, my eldest daughter Baozhu died from damaged spiritual roots. By the time of her death, she was no different from an ordinary person. That is why I took it upon myself not to hang a spirit banner, to prevent passing cultivators from coming in to offer incense and accusing me of deception.”

Although Jiang Fengnian’s explanation was forced, it was plausible enough.

The people from the Yunxia Sect had originally intended to leave, but seeing him come out to speak, one of the younger disciples with a hot temper could not hold back and rushed over again. “Then what about the empty coffin? How do you explain the empty coffin?”

At this moment, Wen Xu and his two companions only needed to play the part of fools who knew nothing. Bian Chunzhou even added a timely question: “What empty coffin?”

A flash of anger crossed Jiang Fengnian’s brow, though it was clearly directed at the Yunxia Sect. Because the Yonglu Mountain disciples were present, he did not let it show: “Just as you said, the weather is bad these days. My daughter loved beauty. Since we do not have a Youth Retaining Bead, I hired someone to set up a Cold Ice Array in the backyard.”

It was well known that the Cold Ice Array was incredibly harsh. Even if one was not directly inside the array, it could still harm ordinary people. Since Madame Jiang was an ordinary person, not setting up the Cold Ice Array in the mourning hall was understandable.

It was another forced but plausible explanation. Compared to Madame Jiang, Jiang Fengnian was clearly on a much higher level, and his handling of the situation was far more thorough. At the very least, the Yunxia Sect disciples were left speechless.

Hearing this, the leader at the fifth level of Qi Refining hesitated for a moment before taking out the Youth Retaining Bead once more. “Uncle Jiang, please accept this.”

Wen Xu quietly opened his eyes to watch the scene. Just as Jiang Fengnian was reluctantly about to accept the Youth Retaining Bead, Wen Xu spoke up. “Since she is Junior Sister Jiang Ying’s biological sister, how could her spiritual roots have been damaged out of nowhere, leading to her death? Uncle Jiang, if you are in a difficult position, please speak frankly. Although the three of us have meager cultivation, Yonglu Mountain will never sit idly by in the face of injustice.”

Jiang Fengnian grew suspicious. What on earth are these three here for?

He did not know much about the great sects. Although Langyuan City was situated at the foot of the Yonglu Mountain Range, he was merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Sending his daughter to the Yunxia Sect was already the limit of his abilities. As for a great sect like Yonglu Mountain, if not for Jiang Ying’s own luck and opportunities, he probably would never have had any contact with them in his lifetime.

Yet even if he did not know much, he understood the difference between inner and outer disciples. Could it be… they had found out? Alarmed and suspicious, he did not know how to respond for a moment.

It was precisely his hesitation that made Wen Xu’s questioning carry even more weight. “A cultivator’s spiritual roots are like their very life. Destroying someone’s spiritual roots is no different from murder. Uncle Jiang, you can speak freely.”

What was this? It was roasting Jiang Fengnian over the fire, while also stomping all over the Yunxia Sect’s minefield!

Anyone would find it hard to bear. Even the usually simple-minded Chen Zui noticed that as soon as these words were spoken, the eyes of the three Qi Refining disciples turned red with anger. Especially the one with the lowest cultivation at the third level; if he had not been held back, he probably would have rushed right up to Wen Xu.

But even though he did not rush over, his sharp words still pierced the air: “Bullshit! Just because you are from a great sect doesn’t mean you can slander people! Eldest Senior Brother was incredibly good to Senior Sister Baozhu. He would have torn his own heart out for her!”

Hearing this, Bian Chunzhou’s first reaction was actually: …What? There are actually “heart-gouging^[1]” lovebrains in the cultivation world too?!

“Junior Brother, watch your words.”

The senior brother next to him tried to cover his mouth, but this junior brother seemed to have thrown caution to the wind. “What is there that can’t be said! Are we just going to let them throw mud at Eldest Senior Brother? If Senior Sister Baozhu hadn’t insisted on exploring that secret realm back then, Eldest Senior Brother wouldn’t have gone with her! The biggest mistake Eldest Senior Brother made was coming back with his spiritual roots intact!”

Wow. Was this really something they should be hearing? This junior brother seemed to harbor a very deep resentment.

“You all keep saying you don’t blame Eldest Senior Brother, but whether it’s you, Third Senior Brother, or Fourth Senior Brother, you all blame him! Knowing Senior Sister Baozhu died, you still forced Eldest Senior Brother to go look for a Youth Retaining Bead. His injuries had barely healed! Not only did his cultivation realm drop after he came back this time, but it might even affect his future cultivation!”

The junior brother, drawing strength from who knew where, snatched the Youth Retaining Bead from the second senior brother’s hand. “If he doesn’t want it, why do you still beg him to accept it! If we sell the Youth Retaining Bead for spirit stones, we can still give them to Eldest Senior Brother…”

Slap!

The junior brother was struck, sent sprawling to the ground so hard he could not even get back up. It was clear how much spiritual energy the second senior brother had put into the blow.

“What nonsense are you spouting! Once we return, I will definitely report this to Master and have you sent to the back mountain to reflect on your actions.”

Just as the second senior brother of the Yunxia Sect finished speaking, a cold-faced female cultivator with a pretty face walked out of the Jiang Residence. She held a low-grade spiritual sword and stood straight. He had never met this person before, yet he inexplicably found her familiar.

“Jiang Ying” had not expected inner disciples from Yonglu Mountain to show up at her door, let alone Wen Xu of Guochun Peak. She had fought him once; though he appeared as warm and gentle as a spring breeze, his methods were incredibly cold and sharp.

She disliked dealing with cultivators who practically radiated the aura of a chosen pride of heaven. She preferred those who were weaker, less capable, or only slightly stronger than her, as such people were much easier to control.

But since they had come to her door, she had to show herself. Not only that, she wanted to use their momentum against them; the people from the Yunxia Sect were truly too annoying. “Outer disciple Jiang Ying pays respects to Little Grand-Uncle Master.”

Little Grand-Uncle Master?!

The three from the Yunxia Sect, including the junior brother who still could not get up from the ground, held their breath. Even the most ignorant cultivator knew how immense the influence of a cultivator with such high seniority in Yonglu Mountain was.

We’re doomed. These words flashed simultaneously through the minds of the three Yunxia Sect members.

Wen Xu, however, had an excellent memory. Having his seniority exposed on the spot, he raised his head and opened his eyes, his gaze landing on the female cultivator before him. With just one look, he saw the ambition in her eyes, so intense it was almost tangible. He had seen this kind of ambition before, on his own face and on the faces of many commoners trying to climb their way up. Because of his face blindness, he could not see anyone’s features clearly, so he subconsciously focused all his attention on a person’s eyes.

Just like when he first met Bian Chunzhou, Chunzhou’s eyes had been pure and clear. That was the fundamental reason he had been willing to place his bet on him back then.

“Last time on the arena stage, you called me Senior Brother. Why the change in address today?” Wen Xu heard his own voice drift out, sounding like a casual mention, yet also like a direct interrogation.

In Yonglu Mountain, aside from Senior Brother Zheng Jin, no one would call him Junior Brother. And the only one who had called him Senior Brother was Jiang Ying.

Two days ago, Chunzhou had mentioned that Senior Sister Jiang Ying was very strange. Normally, Wen Xu would not care about whether someone else lived or died, but thinking back carefully, her smooth control of spiritual energy despite breaking through several minor realms in rapid succession was not the strangest part. The strangest part was that Jiang Ying had called him Senior Brother.

No matter how bold an outer disciple of Yonglu Mountain might be, none of them would be foolish enough to call him Senior Brother to try and cozy up to him. Jiang Ying was by no means a fool, yet she had called him that, and she had done so very naturally, as if, in her mind, he was supposed to be her senior brother.

It was not that Wen Xu was arrogant, but there was likely no one in Yonglu Mountain who did not know him. Even if they did not recognize his face, they knew he was blind, and a blind man was easy to recognize. Yet Jiang Ying had failed to do so.

Reflecting further on this bizarre funeral, Wen Xu thought to himself that Chen Zui should be able to defeat someone at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

“I was disrespectful back then. I hope Little Grand-Uncle Master can forgive me.”

“Of course, I don’t mind. It’s just a form of address, after all.” Wen Xu smiled, then pulled out a Shadow Retention Stone. Instead of speaking directly, he placed it into Chunzhou’s hand. “As for that mission, why don’t you ask Junior Sister Jiang Ying directly? Since we’re already here.”

Bian Chunzhou was taken aback. What mission? Wasn’t that just some nonsense you made up on the spot to brush off Jiang Fengnian… Ah, the Shadow Retention Stone mission! He blankly took the stone, thinking, When it comes to using my brain, I’m definitely no match for Wen Xuxu. Since Wen Xuxu wants me to ask, I’ll just ask. If we got it wrong, the worst that can happen is I slide to my knees and apologize. Thus, he spoke up directly: “Senior Sister Jiang Ying, when I was returning late on the night of the fifteenth, I recorded this cry for help at the foot of the mountain. When I heard your voice on the arena stage the other day, I realized they sounded almost identical. Back then… was it you?”

Hearing this, Jiang Ying nearly lost her grip on her spiritual sword. Her mind buzzed as she frantically calculated how she could deny it to get out of this.