Chapter 34: Attitude

Then again, this evil cultivator certainly had some nerve to pull his tricks right at the foot of Yonglu Mountain.

Although evil cultivators were famous for their rapid cultivation speed, for a mere Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator to dare stir up trouble in Langyuan City meant he was either incredibly stupid or… had ulterior motives.

Gu Wufang summoned Huang Qianshu, the disciple in charge of the case: “Has that evil cultivator confessed yet?”

“Replying to the Sect Master, that evil cultivator…”

“What is it?”

“He suffered a backlash from the formation’s power. When we captured him last night, he was already on his last breath. Although he isn’t dead yet, he is only half a step away from the grave.”

Langyuan City was simply too vast. To investigate the matter of the “pregnant men,” he had been staying near the eastern part of the city. Upon receiving the message from his Little Grand-Uncle Master, he had rushed to Biyu Tower as fast as he could, but he was still a step too late.

Gu Wufang fell silent for a moment. He supposed it was not surprising. After all, that was the spiritual energy of a Body Integration Stage powerhouse. Even if it was just a passive protective jade slip, the force reflected back onto the formation was something even he would struggle to withstand.

Using such a jade slip against a minor Foundation Establishment evil cultivator was truly like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Gu Wufang did some mental calculations. His Little Martial Uncle must have been frightened this time. He would have to search his private treasury to see if there were any protective magical treasures suitable for low-level disciples. To be honest, even he did not possess a defensive jade slip gifted by a Body Integration Stage powerhouse. Seeing it used just like that made his heart bleed on his behalf.

His Little Martial Uncle truly did not run the household and had no idea how expensive things were^[1].

“Sect Master?” Seeing that the Sect Master had not responded for a long time, Huang Qianshu could not help but call out softly.

“Have you found out how many ordinary citizens this evil cultivator harmed?”

“Everyone from Biyu Tower is currently detained in the dungeon of the City Lord’s Mansion. Most of them do not know much, but according to the manager, the tower master has always been very mysterious. He only appeared when a guest in the tower ordered the Heavenly Fragrance Brew.”

“The Heavenly Fragrance Brew?”

“Yes. This Heavenly Fragrance Brew sells for as much as ten thousand low-grade spirit stones. Even for wealthy families, this is an enormous sum. However, rumor has it that drinking this wine allows one to have the sweetest dreams in the world, and even…”

“Even what?”

“Even spend a night of passion with a fairy.”

Gu Wufang was speechless. What a beautiful dream. Do they really think the violent female cultivators of the cultivation world never go outside?

On this point, Gu Wufang had misjudged the evil cultivator. The man had dared to use this gimmick because he had perfectly grasped the pulse of the cultivation world’s male and female cultivators. Most cultivators were detached from worldly desires, aloof, and disliked interacting with ordinary people. It was precisely because he understood this that he set up his business in the pleasure quarters.

Furthermore, his Jade Bone Acacia Evil Seeds had been specially processed so that their aura was completely concealed once they entered a human body. Wushan Village was also in a remote location. Using Biyu Tower as a cover, even disposing of corpses became perfectly logical.

Honestly, if the son of a certain wealthiest man hadn’t had a screw loose and decided to open a brothel, Biyu Tower might still be operating smoothly right now. After all… no decent cultivator would ever visit a brothel meant for ordinary mortals.

“In truth, this wine contains powder from the Jade Bone Acacia^[2] Tree, which has a similar effect to the Jade Bone Acacia Aphrodisiac Powder. It likely also has a certain hallucinogenic effect, which is how it deceives ordinary people.”

In reality, the Heavenly Fragrance Brew was completely worthless.

“Furthermore, this evil cultivator used the Heavenly Fragrance Brew to search for suitable hosts for the Jade Bone Acacia Evil Seed. Once the parasite successfully took hold, he would imprison them in Wushan Village. After Biyu Tower burned down, we discovered a damaged formation on the basement level. According to our investigation in Wushan Village, this formation leads directly there.”

This explained why no one had noticed an evil cultivator causing trouble for so long.

Gu Wufang suddenly frowned. “A formation? Where would a Foundation Establishment Stage evil cultivator get so many formations?”

One had to know that formations in the cultivation world consumed an immense amount of spirit stones. Otherwise, the fees for teleportation arrays between cities wouldn’t be so exorbitant. Could a mere Foundation Establishment Stage evil cultivator really possess such deep pockets?

“I will continue to investigate this matter,” Huang Qianshu said, pulling out a jade slip. “Sect Master, this records the current condition of all the imprisoned villagers from Wushan Village. Most of them have suffered irreversible damage. A small number whose blood has not yet turned green were treated by spirit doctors I brought in, successfully halting the parasite’s growth. However, they still need a long period of recuperation.”

Gu Wufang scanned it with his spiritual energy and signed a Sect Master’s special authorization. “Take this token and withdraw the corresponding medicinal pills and spirit stones. When the people at the foot of Yonglu Mountain suffer, it is our duty to help.”

With that, the report on the evil cultivator came to a temporary close.

Huang Qianshu was about to leave, but he did not expect the Sect Master to bring up the involvement of Jinding Pavilion’s Young Master. In truth, when he arrived at the scene, he had not seen the Young Master of Jinding Pavilion, nor was there anyone from Jinding Pavilion present.

Therefore, given his cultivation level and status, he had not yet gone to demand answers from Jinding Pavilion.

Hearing this, Gu Wufang smiled. “That is simple. Go down the mountain later and have someone deliver a jade slip to Jinding Pavilion’s Chengxin Hall. Write that our Yonglu Mountain disciples used a Body Integration Stage powerhouse’s jade slip to save their Young Master’s life last night.”

Huang Qianshu was speechless. Sect Master, you really are something else.

“If their manager asks, you can also drop a few hints about the identity of that Body Integration Stage powerhouse.”

Huang Qianshu understood. After descending the mountain, he personally went to Chengxin Hall to deliver the jade slip. After a battle of wits with that difficult manager, he finally let slip the news that their Young Master might have offended the Disciple of Venerable Chengwei.

The manager of Chengxin Hall was surnamed Chang. As soon as Manager Chang saw the Yonglu Mountain disciple out, he immediately sent a message to the main family. When Pei Dongsu, the head of Jinding Pavilion, received the news, he nearly had to take a heart-protecting spirit pill.

“Where is that wretched son of mine?!”

Pei Mingshan seemed to have long anticipated that Yonglu Mountain would come looking for trouble. At this moment, he was waiting outside for his father’s summons. Hearing his father smash a cup and roar in anger, he sauntered inside casually. “How rare. Father is actually looking for me of his own accord.”

Furious, Pei Dongsu threw a palm strike toward him. “You wretched boy! What on earth did you do out there? How dare you offend that mad dragon of Yonglu Mountain?!”

Pei Mingshan stood there and took the slap head-on. “Father, if you have the guts, you should call him by that name right in front of the Divine Venerable.”

“You bastard!”

Pei Dongsu was seven hundred and fifty-nine years old this year, with a cultivation level at the late Nascent Soul stage. His talent was mediocre; he had advanced to the Nascent Soul stage at the age of four hundred. At his current pace, he should be able to step into the Soul Transformation stage before his lifespan ran out.

But that was only a high probability, not a certainty.

To ensure the continuation of Jinding Pavilion, Pei Dongsu had married three wives when he was five hundred years old. Unfortunately, it was difficult for cultivators to have children, and he was no exception. For the next century, none of his three wives showed any signs of pregnancy, so he eventually gave up on the idea of raising an heir.

To his surprise, just as he had lost all hope, his first wife became pregnant.

Pei Dongsu was overjoyed. He thought that even if the child’s talent was mediocre, he could accept it. Jinding Pavilion had vast wealth and resources; even if they had to pile up spiritual pills and miraculous medicines, they could still force the child’s cultivation level up to the Nascent Soul stage.

However, as the child was born and grew up, he discovered that things were not so simple.

The boy grew more and more crooked, straying further and further from the virtues of his name, Mingshan.

Pei Dongsu had originally planned to send the boy to Yonglu Mountain for proper training when he turned eighteen. He had not expected that while the boy did possess a spiritual root, it was naturally crippled, making normal cultivation completely impossible.

So many years had passed, yet he was still at the first level of Qi Refining. Pei Dongsu would have preferred it if the boy were just a normal human!

Pei Mingshan touched his swollen cheek and grinned. “Is this the first day you’ve realized I’m a bastard, Father? Who told you to sire such a useless son?”

“You-“

Pei Dongsu furrowed his brows deeply. “What exactly did you do? Tell me the truth.”

“Who told you to keep arranging matchmaking sessions for me, Father? My three mothers also keep crying to me, telling me to settle down and be the Young Master who carries on the family line. But are you really prepared to hand Jinding Pavilion over to me?”

Pei Mingshan sneered. “I’m nothing but a tool to carry on the lineage. You might be willing to accept that, Father, but I am not!”

“You-“

“I didn’t get involved. The evil cultivators are them, and I am me. I’m not crazy enough to become an evil cultivator.” Pei Mingshan finished speaking, then laughed again. “But in the future, if I’m forced to attend any more of those spring matchmaking banquets, Father, you know me. I’m capable of anything!”

Slap!

Well, now the slap marks on Pei Mingshan’s face were perfectly symmetrical.

“As for the Disciple of the Divine Venerable, I will go and apologize to him. I must say, he is a very interesting person.”

*

The next day, before Bian Chunzhou and Chen Zui had emerged from their secluded cultivation, Wen Xu received news that the Young Master of Jinding Pavilion had personally come to the mountain gate to apologize. Furthermore, he had come entirely alone, without anyone accompanying him.

“He came alone?”

“Yes. The Sect Master wants you to go meet him.”

Wen Xu did not particularly like dealing with this man, but after a moment’s thought, he decided to see what tricks he had up his sleeve. “Alright, please wait a moment.”

Wen Xu had been studying sword techniques. In fact, after this ordeal, he had realized that his combat techniques were far too lacking. Aside from the Wind-Folding Fan and a few talismans, he had almost no offensive moves.

As for his swordplay, he had barely scratched the surface. Despite possessing a cultivation level of the seventh level of Qi Refining, he could not even exert half of his actual strength. When he encountered danger this time, he had been forced to rely on the life-saving measures gifted by his master.

Although his master had given him another protective jade slip after he returned yesterday, it felt like a hot potato in his hands. Wen Xu secretly resolved that he must master some life-saving techniques before descending the mountain again. Otherwise, if he had to use his master’s jade slip every time he went down, wouldn’t it tarnish his master’s reputation if word got out?

“Little Grand-Uncle Master?”

“My apologies for keeping you waiting.”

Wen Xu followed the Daoist boy to Xiyuan Peak, where guests were received. Since Pei Mingshan was merely the Young Master of Jinding Pavilion and possessed no cultivation, the one hosting him was a Foundation Establishment senior brother from Kaiyuan Peak. Seeing the Little Grand-Uncle Master enter, the senior brother left the two of them to speak in private.

After all, this was Yonglu Mountain. Even if the Young Master had the audacity, he wouldn’t dare make a move here.

“I thought you wouldn’t come to see me.”

Wen Xu replied, “Aren’t you here to apologize? Is this your attitude when apologizing?”