Chapter 1629: Fleeing in Disarray
Jiang Chen was completely silent, as if he'd entered into a trance. He suddenly leapt up from the Vermilion Bird's back. "Senior Vermilion," he messaged, "let's attack in tandem."
"No need," the bird retorted proudly. "I'll take on this monster myself."
An ancient, divine fowl bore itself with dignity that befit its bloodline and status. Though it wasn't at peak strength, it didn't see the monster in the deep as an opponent on the same level.
With a ringing cry, it expanded in the wind. Its body instantly became more than ten times its previous size, and a wing-flap sent rows of crimson energy surging outwards.
The bird's wings oscillated like two giant blades. The fiery aura they exuded created arcs that sliced the very fabric of space itself. Energy crashed into the watery veil that stood in their path.
Boom!
The red aura disappeared into the water veil with lightning speed. In the next moment, a scar was torn upon it.
Boom!
The veil crumpled without a second thought.
Its concealment stripped away, the fierce beast's true form was brought into daylight. With the vastness of the ocean, its colossal body stood like a large coral reef. It raised its gargantuan head and opened a ravenous maw to unleash a resounding roar. Earth and water trembled for miles around.
Though the monster's body was huge, it was also exceedingly swift when traveling on the ocean currents. Its tail had been swishing in the previous moment, and in the next, its jaw surged towards the Vermilion Bird with an electrifying motion.
"Ridiculous!" The Vermilion Bird wasn't intimidated by such a crude attack. It dodged, unleashing fiery blades from its wings once more. The attack headed right for the inside of the beast's mouth.
The monster tilted its head downward. A strange light appeared upon its forehead, producing a defense from seemingly nowhere. The fiery blades broke upon the makeshift shield, producing a dull thud.
It'd managed to block the Vermilion Bird's attack outright with a strange ripple around its forehead! There was no wound to speak of.
This surprised the bird a little. Though it wasn't in its final form, it'd still been confident that it could kill the monster easily. What'd just happened defied expectations. There seemed to be a strange defense on the beast's forehead that enabled it to block an attack of much higher level.
Jiang Chen was also astonished. In his opinion, the Vermilion Bird's attacks weren't easily weathered even by mid empyrean experts.
"Senior Vermilion, perhaps you should make use of mobility rather than a frontal assault. There's something off about the beast's forehead. Try elsewhere."
The human transmitted a reminder, but the Vermilion Bird knew what to do even without it. If it were in peak condition, that strange defense would still be no obstacle. However, now was a time when technique was superior to viciousness.
Naturally, the Vermilion Bird was both quicker and more dexterous than the monster. In spite of the watery beast's endless roiling of interfering waves into the sky, the bird was barely affected.
After several rounds of back-and-forth, the monster sustained several hits. Unfortunately, it was too bulky and thick-skinned to have been seriously injured. For the time being, its life was completely unthreatened.
Furthermore, the monster was a devious one. When it noticed its titanic body was the target of attack, it became more devious by hiding itself beneath the waves. Only its head and neck were visible now; the rest was concealed by the briny deep.
"We can leave first, Senior Vermilion," Jiang Chen pointed out. "There's no need to drag out a fight now – why not come back and take care of this beast later?"
"If we do, it will definitely make trouble for us when we are upon Hell King Island," the Vermilion Bird replied. "Monster are always thus. They must be either tamed or slain, or they won't stop their harassment and hostility."
Jiang Chen agreed with the bird's point of view and stopped trying to persuade it otherwise.
For a while, the Vermilion Bird and the huge monster were locked in a stalemate.
Intrinsically, the bird was stronger than the beast. Alas, the latter had the advantage of being on homeground, which afforded many advantages. Moreover, the beast was a tough nut to crack. It could ensure its life by using the seas to its full advantage, poking out occasionally to discharge a powerful strike.
The bird's attacks from high in the air were accurate enough, but non-lethal at best. If it wanted those attacks to become lethal, it needed to close the range – ergo, swoop closer to the water.
But doing so also increased risk to itself. Flying so low made counterattacks from the beast significantly more possible and threatening. If the beast could drag the bird beneath the waters, even a creature like the Vermilion Bird would suffer a great deal. Death wasn't out of the question.
The Vermilion Bird wasn't used to the sea and at an obvious disadvantage.
Jiang Chen sat high in the air to watch the combat. He could feel the bird's fury. It was greatly displeased that an existence far below it was holding it up like this. This was the height of disrespect!
"I suppose the monster can't be underestimated," he sighed to himself. "It's managed to go even with Senior Vermilion by relying on its environment!"
Jiang Chen was observing the fight, but hardly relaxed. Instead, he paid close attention to every detail in an effort to seek out a vulnerability. He believed that one surely existed.
He finally picked up a few clues after half an hour. Each time the monster made a pass at the Vermilion Bird, it raised its head to face the bird squarely. Each time the bird repositioned, the monster followed closely behind in the water to maintain the same facing.
Though it couldn't necessarily keep up with the bird's speed all the time, it would contort itself to raise its forehead to its foe. Whenever its head was held up, it made sure the back of its neck was well-protected. In fact, it seemed positively fearful of showing that part. This was a rather startling discovery.
Summoning Long Xiaoxuan, Jiang Chen gave him some instructions. "Brother Long, when this monster goes at it with Senior Vermilion again, sneak up and give it the old one-two. Remember, safety first."
"Dragons belong to the sea," Long Xiaoxuan harrumphed. "That's our territory. Why should I be scared of such a pathetic creature?"
The more his heritage memories awakened, the more Long Xiaoxuan's regal aura intensified. He held himself with the bearing appropriate for an ancient sacred beast.
"Let's do it." Jiang Chen drew his Holy Dragon Bow, then vanished in mid air.
Long Xiaoxuan manifested his true form, projecting a roar into the air. As he did, all the oceans around him stilled. Even the monster's eyes shied away instinctively, its instincts taking over its mind for a moment.
It hastily raised its head to scan the surroundings, fear clear in the beady orbs.
Though Long Xiaoxuan was only initial emperor realm, his presence and might nevertheless held natural sway over organisms that lived in water. The dragon extended a claw into the air, bringing a lightning-infused blow down on the beast's head.
The beast shrank its head when it saw the true dragon. It didn't dare eat the attack at all, instead sinking beneath the waves. Long Xiaoxuan's talons were unsatisfied with stopping here, and he followed into the water.
The leviathan was in a full blown panic now. It swam at top speed into the nearby waters. Clearly, it was overtaken with dread. Vermilion Birds and true dragons were both ancient beasts of the most terrifying variety. Though it had never fought against a true dragon in its life, it had the basic instinct as an ocean-dweller that dragons were indomitable kings of the sea. They were impossible to beat.
Thus, Long Xiaoxuan succeeded where the powerful Vermilion Bird had failed.
Jiang Chen didn't know how best to react to this absurd turn of events. His fingers remained upon the Holy Dragon Bow. He'd wanted to find an opportunity to strike at back of the monster's neck and possibly search for openings. He hadn't expected it to run so decisively and certainly!
When the Vermilion Bird flew over, Jiang Chen was a bit apologetic. "Excuse me, Senior Vermilion. I took some initiative there. Hell King Island is right before us, so I didn't think we needed to waste any more time. Because we are over open seas, we were fighting in its domain. The island will becomes yours, senior. If it dares disturb you, you can easily crush it."
He was somewhat worried that the Vermilion Bird would be displeased. Some flattery was the least he could do.
The bird laughed helplessly. "What, you thought I would blame you? I know full well where you're coming from. So true dragons do a much better job of scaring monsters off, eh? I suppose my race is a bit less intimidating and well-known."
"True dragons have always reigned supreme over the ocean," Jiang Chen smiled. "Denizens of the deep instinctively fear them. I don't think it's a racial thing."
The bird sighed, but said nothing more on the subject. Instead, it turned to Hell King Island in the distance. "Come, let's go."
Chapter 1630: Rebirth From Flames, the Vermilion Bird is Reborn
Without the monster's interference, Jiang Chen and company arrived at Hell King Island very quickly. Even the reefs around the island burned a dull red. There was fire everywhere upon the landmass.
The strangest thing was that plant life seemed to thrive here. In fact, there was plenty of floral coverage. Most of them had a fire attribute to them; it was the purity of the veins of fire energy that enabled them to prosper.
"Brother Long, stay in the outer seas. The inner part of Hell King Island is like a furnace. Can you stand guard for us against that monster's return?"
Long Xiaoxuan thought for a moment, then nodded. "Sure. I don't think that thing'll be coming back any time soon though."
Jiang Chen tended to agree. Big fish weren't known for their intelligence, but a healthy fear of death was characteristic of almost every living thing.
"Senior Vermilion, I will patrol the skies to prevent you from being disturbed by outside forces. As for any issues deeper into the island, you'll have to deal with those yourself."
"Alright. Young master Chen, Xiaoxuan, thank you for the hard work. If my rebirth is completed, I will owe you both a big favor!" After making this promise, the bird shot into the inner part of the island like a fiery comet. From the sight alone, it looked like a fireball thrown into a fiery pit.
With Jiang Chen and Long Xiaoxuan around, no disturbance from the outside was likely to get through.
The Astral White Tiger hadn't broken through to empyrean realm yet, and it lacked the protection afforded by Jiang Chen's Bewitching Lotus of Ice and Fire. It couldn't move about in Hell King Island, which was why it remained unsummoned.
Days flowed into weeks.
Each day Jiang Chen spent in protecting the Vermilion Bird wasn't done so in vain. He cultivated all the while, using the surrounding ocean to polish himself.
One day, as he fought amid the waves, inspiration struck him once more. He successfully broke through to advanced emperor realm.
He'd only thought himself to be only a step away before. The majesty of the endless waves and the power of nature had allowed him to leap over threshold almost effortlessly.
After breaking through, he felt another marked increase in his strength. In great emperor realm, every additional level led to a noticeable direct increase of power.
"Advance great emperor, peak great emperor, half-step empyrean…"
Jiang Chen vowed to himself that he would get to peak great emperor as quickly as possible. Once he was close enough, he would use the Emperor Supremacy Pill to reach half-step empyrean.
At that point, empyrean realm wouldn't be far away.
In the water, Long Xiaoxuan found himself indescribably at home. It was as if a king had returned to his throne. Though he'd just broken through to empyrean realm, he was filled yet again with inspiration. The awakening of ancestral memories increased his level by one more.
"Young master Chen, it seems that coming to Myriad Abyss was the right call." The dragon's words were heartfelt. There was nothing better than for true dragons to find inspiration in than an enormous ocean.
"Brother Long, take as much time as you like to solidify and develop your cultivation. In fact, you can even stay in these waters for a while. Do be careful though."
"I'll think about it." Long Xiaoxuan was accustomed to being a bit contrarian, but deep down, he did care very much about the human. The dragon had relied on the young man since the day they'd met.
He was maturing more and more now, but childhood friends were always the closest bonds. Furthermore, he had little experience living by himself. He found it hard to accept being alone.
"Brother Long, dragons have lived in oceans since time immemorial. We are partners, brothers, and comrades. Don't change what you want to do based on my potential opinion. If you want to stay here, I'm right behind you." Jiang Chen was thoroughly sincere as well. He'd helped Long Xiaoxuan grow because he'd wanted to borrow the dragon's strength, but leaving him there was both a trial and preparation for the future.
...
Three months passed by in the blink of an eye.
One day, as Jiang Chen patrolled the air, he suddenly felt an enormous disturbance in the volcano and fire energy on Hell King Island.
As he wondered what had happened, an earth-shaking tremor passed through the entire area. In the next moment, an explosion appeared in the middle of the island. The Vermilion Bird's body rose out from the fire-pit like a rising ball of flame, catching the eye of all observers. The crimson rays it exuded were almost blinding.
It had forged itself anew in fire!
It soared into the heavens with an excited cry, trailing long embers behind it. Each cycle of rebirth meant an entirely new life for a Vermilion Bird.
A single completion signified the beginning of a new lifecycle; it didn't need to worry about its lifespan for a long time from now on. Furthermore, it would gradually recover its former strength after the rite, back to its former peak. It needed only time and the right environment. After that, it would perhaps be given the opportunity to attain new peaks.
Jiang Chen was just as pleased for the bird as the bird itself. Everything had been a great success!
After waiting an eternity, the Vermilion Bird had finally reached a new chapter in its life. It had been reborn into a new cycle and received a new lifespan.
"Congratulations, Senior Vermilion!" Jiang Chen sent his felicitations to the fiery bird.
The Vermilion Bird screeched proudly into the air to its heart's content, venting all at once all of the repressed negativity it had bottled up over the years.
"I'm very grateful for your help, young master Chen!" Passionate light flared from its glittering orbs. It was truly thankful from the bottom of its heart.
Without the young man's help, it wouldn't have been able to come to Myriad Abyss Island. There was nowhere in the human domain as perfect for rebirth as this.
A good location for the process of rebirth was essential for success. The likelihood of succeeding would've been almost nonexistent regardless, and its life permanently extinguished then.
"It was your own good fortune, Senior Vermilion. I only helped you along. As long as your destiny dictates it, no one in the world will be able to destroy you!" Jiang Chen comforted the bird.
"Part of my good fortune was meeting you. Where would I find my fortune otherwise?" The Vermilion Bird's feelings ran high.
Long Xiaoxuan also rose out of the water and took up a coiled position in the sky, looking furtively at the sacred fowl that was countless years his senior.
"Congratulations, big fiery bird. You're very strong, but I'll catch up to you one day soon." The dragon was as swaggering as ever.
The Vermilion Bird was in too good of a mood to care. "Xiaoxuan, your bloodline is so strong that it's only a matter of time before you catch up to me. It seems that you've benefited quite a bit as well from our trip to Myriad Abyss as well. Your cultivation has seen some breakthroughs."
Long Xiaoxuan nodded coolly. He harbored some respect for the Vermilion Bird, so he wasn't too aloof despite his ego.
"Senior Vermilion," Jiang Chen intruded. "I have something to talk to you about. Will you give me some direction?" He talked about Long Xiaoxuan and the latter's new discoveries in these seas.
"Xiaoxuan is a true dragon," the Vermilion Bird mused, "and true dragons are at home in the ocean. It's not a bad choice to cultivate further in these seas."
"That's what I'm thinking too." Jiang Chen nodded.
"But Myriad Abyss Island has oceans everywhere. Long Xiaoxuan can cultivate anywhere."
"I suppose so, but there aren't many living beings here. Even the creatures that live in the water clearly avoid these parts. It's a good place for undisturbed cultivation. In other places, the human cultivators passing by alone would be hard to defend against."
Jiang Chen knew how much humans thirsted after true dragons. If powerful cultivators knew that a true dragon had appeared, they would show themselves in an attempt to tame it for sure. He didn't want that to happen.
"You're right. These seas are a rare patch of tranquility. You know, the seas surrounding Winterdraw were pretty good too," the Vermilion Bird remarked thoughtfully. "Why don't you leave Xiaoxuan for a while to train? You can meet up again when he grows stronger."
"That's what I'mI thinking too. However, Brother Long is an innocent dragon, and doesn't guard himself zealously enough against human malice. I'm worried that a human expert who chances by this place…"
The bird's expression grew serious. "Your worries aren't misplaced. How about this? I may be reborn, but I want to stay here for awhile longer to fortify my cultivation. Xiaoxuan can stay in these waters and we'll look after each other. But you…"
Jiang Chen's eyes lit up. "Very good. It's settled then. Senior Vermilion will look after you. No one will dare touch either of you if you combine forces."
"No. What will you do if both of us leave?" Long Xiaoxuan objected.
"Me? Don't worry about me. I can survive on my own. I won't be able to keep you two company for a while though. I need to take a trip back to the Bluesmoke Isles."
The jade festival was about to begin. Jiang Chen wanted to return to gather some more information. He hadn't forgotten what he'd come to Myriad Abyss for.
"Will you be fine by yourself, young master Chen?" The Vermilion Bird gazed at Jiang Chen.
"No problem. Let's split up for now so that we may meet again in better straits next time. I trust that we'll all be pleasantly surprised on that day!" Saying this, he roared with laughter. "Alright. Now that you've completed the rite of rebirth, Senior Vermilion, I no longer have any more concerns. Brother Long, you can stay here to cultivate and take care of each other. I'm going back to the Bluesmoke Isles immediately."
Chapter 1631: Convening At Miracle City
"That's enough, my friends. There's no need for you to see me off any further. The most dangerous parts of the sea are past, and this place isn't far from the Bluesmoke Isles. Don't worry about me. Go back to Hell King Island!"
Though the Vermilion Bird and Long Xiaoxuan had agreed to Jiang Chen's suggestion, they wanted to accompany the young man back to Bluesmoke. He refused their goodwill; seeing him through the most dangerous waters was more than enough. After all, it was quite possible they would encounter human cultivators if they went further.
Once that happened, there would be no end of trouble.
Human cultivators were the best at spreading rumors. It would only take a fortnight for news to spread from one person to the entirety of Myriad Abyss Island. These waters wouldn't be safe after that.
"Remember the Vermilion Feather I gave you, young master Chen."
"And my dragon scale," Long Xiaoxuan reminded.
Jiang Chen smiled. "Don't worry, I've put them away for safekeeping. If there's trouble, I'll use them for sure. I'm more scared of death than either of you, hahaha!"
The Vermilion Bird and Long Xiaoxuan had both given personal tokens of their utmost trust to Jiang Chen. If the human were to encounter any danger, he could refine the tokens to alert the bird and dragon. His position could then be pinpointed from the tokens, and they would go rescue him the quickest they were able.
Of course, the tokens were for extenuating circumstances only. Being safe was much more desirable.
After making their promises to each other, Jiang Chen's figure disappeared into the air under Long Xiaoxuan's reluctant gaze.
"Come on, Xiaoxuan. You've always seem so aloof. I thought you were only on middling terms with the young master. You rely on him a lot, huh?" The Vermilion Bird laughed kindly.
"He's the only human I trust," Long Xiaoxuan harrumphed.
The bird sighed softly. "I can't exactly say the same, but he's currently the human that I trust the most. I owe him a great favor."
"Let's go." Long Xiaoxuan's voice sounded oddly muffled.
"Yes, let's."
...
Miracle City of the Bluesmoke Isles had become much more bustling as of late. The taverns and inns were filled up to their brims with visitors from all over. Some were wandering cultivators, others belonged to houses and sects.
Cultivators from the Ten Divine Nations obviously didn't take up lodgings in inns. As visitors to Bluesmoke, they were feted as the most honored guests. The local government buttered them up, providing discreet and grand residences for them – some were even official buildings.
They couldn't possibly appear in commercial residences of any sort.
Excitement enveloped Bluesmoke for several months as well. The isles had invited almost every large faction in the Ten Divine Nations to the jade festival.
Most had provided representatives to attend, which granted great prestige to the event. Clearly, the Bluesmoke Isles' jade festivals were reasonably attractive even to the Ten Divine Nations.
This was quite different to what had taken place on Winterdraw. Winterdraw had begged Polylore's eight houses to visit. Bluesmoke had merely invited. They were on a completely different level.
House Yan of Eternal Divine Nation was housed in a medium-sized residence. Their accommodations were decent enough, though they paled compared to the strongest factions in their nation. However, the house couldn't exactly complain.
Among Eternal Divine Nation's houses, House Yan had significantly declined in terms of rank and position. In fact, they were almost eliminated from being first-rate. They were lucky enough to get their own private residence. Bluesmoke could hardly be faulted for their treatment.
As one of House Yan's younger generation, Huang'er stood separate from the crowd. The other young geniuses were superficially polite to her, but they kept their distance deep down.
In their heart of hearts, these young geniuses considered her extremely unfortunate. They believed that some sort of bad luck stuck to Huang'er. Anyone who stayed near would be infected with misfortune.
Thus, they were courteous, but never invited Huang'er to any of their own outings.
Huang'er was content to keep her peace. She'd never wanted to build any relationships with these so-called young geniuses of the house in the first place. She was much happier that they chose to remain distant to her in private. In fact, she found their behavior and mannerisms mildly amusing.
No wonder House Yan is getting worse and worse over time. The younger generation is outdone by their elders. These youngsters are short-sighted and callous. How can anyone expect them to shoulder the house's responsibilities?
Deep down, she had no interest in mixing with these geniuses either. She didn't care for them one bit, nor did she hold them in any regard.
Having exchanged vows with Jiang Chen, her standards for young men were set impossibly high. Barely anyone could reach a passing grade in her mind, much less compare to Jiang Chen in any capacity.
"Elders, we've been here in Miracle City for many days now. I've spent all that time cooped up in this residence. I'd like to go out for a stroll today, if you permit it."
Four elders had come, but only two were seen to the public eye. Even Huang'er didn't know about the other two.
"Miss Huang'er, your trip was a hotly contested topic in the first place. We took a big risk in letting you come here. Please don't make things difficult for us."
"Yes, Miracle City is too crowded right now with unknown elements. What if something happens to you when you're out on your walk? How do we answer to the house?"
Huang'er frowned slightly. "There are so many others in the streets. What's happened to any of them? If I'd wanted to run away, I wouldn't have come back with Elder Xi. There's no need for you to be concerned."
The two elders exchanged glances. Huang'er looked too stubborn to dissuade.
After a moment, one of them sighed. "Huang'er, you can take a stroll if you like. But I must follow you with great embarrassment. It's not that I want to keep such close tabs on you, but the rest of the house can't afford any more missteps."
Huang'er nodded remotely. "That's fine. I have no objections if both elders want to follow me."
The elders breathed a sigh of relief at her understanding.
"Thank you for not causing us trouble, Huang'er. We're deeply regretful about your circumstances. But what can we do? House Yan is weaker than House Xiahou."
Huang'er returned a faint, silent smile.
She disguised herself slightly. She didn't want to draw any unwanted attention, since there really were too many strangers in Miracle City at the moment.
Given her natural appearance and manner, her safety couldn't be guaranteed simply being out and about. She was almost universally known as the prettiest girl among Eternal Divine Nation's younger generation.
Millions of people had swarmed into Miracle City over the past few months. It teemed with activity. Under the watchful eye of her house's experts, Huang'er cruised along the city's streets.
She wanted very much to openly ask around, but that would make her intentions too obvious. Alerting her family's wily old foxes would only ruin her plans in the long run. Everything was to be done without the appearance of impropriety.
Because of this, the locales that Huang'er chose to visit seemed rather odd.
One would expect girls to love looking at jewelry and delicacies. Huang'er, on the other hand, frequented solely taverns and bars where wandering cultivators gathered. Whenever she encountered an establishment that served alcohol, she would go in and have a few drinks.
House Yan's elders found this rather strange. Since when was Miss Huang'er such a shameless alcoholic?
But her actions quickly made more sense to them. It was normal to douse one's miseries with alcohol.
The older generation was more sympathetic to Huang'er's plight. It was a sad existence to be cursed by fate since one's birth. Alas, she had to be sacrificed for the sake of the house.
Because of this, the elders in charge of keeping an eye on Huang'er didn't prevent her from doing as she liked. As long as she didn't cause any real trouble, she was allowed free reign.
Huang'er wasn't going to the taverns and bars to drink. Instead, she was using her time there to gather information. These places tended to be hubs of rumor and gossip. Having traveled with Jiang Chen far and wide, she had a lot of experience in that field.
Unfortunately, the only subject that people seemed to want to talk about here in Miracle City was ancient jade. Discussion around jade seemed to be a perennially inexhaustible topic.
Polylore Divine Nation's bounty was hardly popular in contrast. In fact, the poster was relegated to the very corner of many notice boards, where no one paid any attention to it. Nothing could rival the popularity of the jade festival in this city.
The multitude of taverns Huang'er visited had yielded her no information whatsoever. This was a bit upsetting to the girl; had the matter sunk into obscurity after only a few months? Was there no one that would offer their opinion?
Where was that Jiang Huang? Would he come to Miracle City?
Huang'er was unsure even now whether Jiang Huang was Jiang Chen or not. Had her intuition failed her?
Finishing the wine in her cup, she turned to leave when she overheard a few tidbits from a nearby conversation. Several wandering cultivators were discussing something at an adjacent table.
"Have you heard? The wilderness near Oriole Valley saw some pretty amazing natural phenomena recently. According to people's analysis, it's quite possible that some kind of true dragon broke through there."
"I hear it was a well-kept secret for a bit, but someone exposed it very recently. The true dragon is very real, apparently. The draconic aura there hasn't dispersed completely yet."
"Sounds like fake news to me, honestly. Since when did the Bluesmoke Isles have a true dragon? Ridiculous. They're just making stuff up."
"Hard to say. What if a true dragon was passing by?"
"What, you saying that the true dragon came for the jade festival? Heh!" The wandering cultivators were so caught up in their conversation that they didn't notice Huang'er intently listening nearby.
A thought flickered into the girl's heart. A true dragon? I've never heard of such a creature in Myriad Abyss Island for tens of thousands of years.
The detail about the dragon kindled her excitement; she'd seen a true dragon before. There had been one at Sacred Peafowl Mountain!
Jiang Chen had a true dragon at his side called Long Xiaoxuan!
"A true dragon, Jiang Huang…" The fuzzy shadow in her heart grew more distinct and identifiable. She was sure that a joyful surprise was slowly approaching her.
There was a person hidden in the shadows, somewhere in the world, who was looking for her just as intently as she him. Perhaps the cogs of fate were turning anew!
Chapter 1632: The Ancient Jade Festival
Traveling past the endless seas, Jiang Chen finally returned to the Bluesmoke Isles. His return to Miracle City found it much more bustling than his last visit. He heard wandering cultivators everywhere discussing the jade festival before he even entered the gates. Listening just a little was enough to yield a large helping of information.
"Hua Ming's information was on point. The Bluesmoke Isles really did successfully invite the Ten Divine Nations' peoples to the jade festival!" Jiang Chen was mildly astonished at this. Was it because of the Bluesmoke Isles' prominence, or the value inherent in the ancient jade at the festival?
He guessed the latter was more likely. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been so many in attendance from the ten nations in the first place. If the Ten Divine Nations' largest factions have come, has House Yan as well? The youth's heart quavered. Would Huang'er be with them?
He felt a certain anticipation about it. In theory, the possibility of her presence was extremely slim. But there was a strange thought in his head that it wasn't totally out of the question.
Perhaps Huang'er has taken note of the name 'Jiang Huang' after hearing about Polylore's bounty?
There had been a very good reason for Jiang Chen to use that pseudonym. It hinted at his arrival while keeping himself hidden. He firmly believed that Huang'er would be astute enough to take note of this fact. They had that much mutual understanding, at least.
It seems that the ancient jade festival will be more interesting than I first thought.
Still, he refrained from going out to gather any information himself. He chose instead to head for the inn he'd lodged at previously. Hua Ming was there waiting for him.
How is his cultivation doing after a few months?
The boy had spent the past few months laying low. He'd fully heeded Jiang Chen's advice on the refinement of his own mental fortitude. It'd had a significant effect on him. When Jiang Chen saw him again, the immaturity was gone from his face. Much of his former flippancy and glibness had been pared away.
Though the boy wasn't yet reliable, he'd grown a noticeable amount. The process had also honed his energy and keenness – characteristics unique to the young and vigorous.
"You're finally back, master!" Hua Ming was overjoyed to see Jiang Chen again. He had yearned day and night for his master's triumphant return.
And now, his honored master had come back to him.
"It looks like you haven't forgotten my instructions, Hua Ming. Well done. Your mentality has been honed quite a bit, and your martial dao hasn't suffered either. With a couple years of training, you can overcome your late start completely. In fact, you may be able to surpass those who started earlier than you. It all depends on your heart."
Jiang Chen wasn't worried about Hua Ming's talent. The boy's mentality was a bigger concern. If Hua Ming didn't change his mindset, no amount of talent could rescue him. The late start for the boy was a chief sticking point.
But it seemed that Hua Ming quite cherished this life-changing opportunity.
"Master, you've given me a new life. Of course I will listen to your instructions. Oh, registration for the jade festival is about to close soon! You came to Miracle City to attend it, yes? There won't be any more spots left if you don't go register!"
"Hmm? When does it end?"
"In another four days," Hua Ming replied anxiously. "If you hadn't come back, master, I would've registered in your stead."
"Haha, that's plenty of time. Have you picked up any important information during this period?"
"I hear the Ten Divine Nations' factions have all reached Miracle City already. But they live in very discreet spaces, and aren't seen unless they choose to show themselves."
"What else did you find out?" Jiang Chen asked.
"Only things related to the festival. I hear that the Bluesmoke Isles is placing a lot of importance on this year's. Its scale is unrivaled in the past three thousand years – apparently in order to please the guests from the Ten Divine Nations. It's said that if the Bluesmoke Isles can satisfy the Ten Divine Nations, maybe they'll raise Bluesmoke up as the eleventh divine nation in a couple of years!"
"Haha, that's just exaggerated gossip, isn't it?" Jiang Chen didn't find that particularly credible.
Perhaps the Bluesmoke Isles was a bit stronger than the Rejuvenation Isles, but a single ancient jade festival was unlikely to be enough to garner the Ten Divine Nations' support in such a weighty undertaking.
If it were that easy to become a divine nation, then the title itself would be a lie.
All ten of the divine nations had various trials and illustrious histories beneath their belts. The Bluesmoke Isles was several levels below them.
Perhaps this was a smokescreen deployed by Bluesmoke for its benefit. It could lord over its neighbors with the reputation alone, even if the elevation turned out to be false.
Jiang Chen didn't care about the specifics. Huang'er was a much more pressing topic of interest for him. Was she here? Because visitors from the Ten Divine Nations were honored guests, it was virtually impossible to find out where they lived. Still, it wasn't a bad idea for him to take a walk around town to try his luck.
"Hua Ming, I'm planning to take part in the ancient jade festival. What do I need to register?"
"It depends on who you are. The largest factions from the Ten Divine Nations have several free entries per house. Factions from other isles have a few as well, varying depending on the strength of the isle in question. Wandering cultivators will need a security deposit and a registration fee. There's a test of some sort as well, and an age restriction."
"An age restriction too?"
"Yes. The festival isn't supposed to be a free lunch. There's no way they would let ancient, secluded experts join. Won't Bluesmoke be robbed clean otherwise? The festival allows only geniuses below sixty to attend."
A cultivator below sixty was like a mortal in their teenage or twenty-something years. Geniuses in this age bracket were considered youthful. It didn't apply to Jiang Chen.
"Keep cultivating at the inn, Hua Ming. I'm going to sign up and poke around for some information."
"Yes, master." Hua Ming agreed readily.
Jiang Chen exited the inn for the street. Pedestrians were denser than on his last visit. Miracle City had six places to register at. He found a reasonably close location.
Alas, the line for registration extended out the entrance. Since every other location was probably the same, Jiang Chen got in line.
It took over two hours for it to be his turn.
Each person admitted into Bluesmoke had papers to that effect. Only once their authenticity was verified was a registration accepted.
Age of the bones was the first to be tested. There was no duplicity possible on this front. Only someone under sixty could move on. After that, a series of other tests were performed, largely involving knowledge about ancient history and jade. This was no problem at all for Jiang Chen.
He quickly passed through.
"You will receive your right to a registered spot once you pay a security deposit of two hundred thousand sky spirit stones. Non-refundable, of course."
The 'security deposit' was the same as a registration fee. The ancient jade festival would span an entire month; a registered entrant could purchase as much jade as he liked during this time. If the value of his winnings exceeded the registration fee, that was his fortune.
If it was far off in the other direction, then he would eat the loss.
The security deposit was almost exorbitant, to be sure. It was hard for the typical wandering cultivator to earn it all back within a month. How much did unidentified jade ore retail for? The largest was only a thousand sky spirit stones.
Two hundred thousand meant two hundred pieces of the largest ore — an extremely difficult task. There was a glut of contestants, and thus fierce competition.
However, Jiang Chen thought it completely worthwhile. Two hundred thousand sky spirit stones wasn't much at all to the current him. But the scale of the ancient jade festival was sure to mean that a huge mining quarry would be opened to the public. This was a great chance to strike rich.
He happily paid out the two hundred thousand required to receive a registrant medallion. Now that he was registered, he was in no hurry to return to the inn. An excursion around the city would do him some good.
He was especially interested in dropping by the most extravagant of bars and brothels. The high-class houses of ill repute were the most popular gathering spots for youths of all stripes.
He wasn't there to cavort with the pretty girls, but to gather information. The young geniuses from the Ten Divine Nations were sure to prowl out and about. What places did young people favor the most?
Taverns and whorehouses, of course, and the higher class the establishment, the better.
It took only the slightest bit of asking around to find out the most famous purveyors of such services. Jade Revel Lodge was the closest. In fact, it was in his direct vicinity.
The very name evoked licentiousness. Apparently, the girls of this lodge were famous in all of the Bluesmoke Isles.
Moreover, it had exclusive possession of fox-girls from the Azure Fox Tribe. Even in Myriad Abyss Island, the race was an elusive one. The males of the tribe were a perverted bunch, but the females were uniformly bewitchingly exquisite women.
Because Azure Foxes weren't known for their martial prowess, fox-girls tended to congregate to brothels and other such locations. Since they were also scarce, every fox-girl was a valuable prize. And yet the Jade Revel Lodge had more than a dozen of these beauties! This was the source of its fame in Bluesmoke.
Chapter 1633: Familiar Faces
Jiang Chen soon arrived at the famous Jade Revel Lodge. Contrary to other brothels, it was designed more like a classy garden than a whorehouse. Even the doorkeepers were all great emperor cultivators, a rather mind-boggling detail.
What surprised Jiang Chen the most was the brothel's demure character. There were no women outside the door clinging to potential clients or flirting with passersby. The entire establishment veered elegant rather than base and crude.
"Jade Revel Lodge is indeed a cut above the usual." Jiang Chen had never been to a brothel, but he needed to gather information. With his jaw tightened, he entered the door.
Once inside, a staff member immediately came up with a smile. "Sir, are you here for a drink or something else?"
"I've heard much about Jade Revel Lodge, so I've come to get a glimpse for myself. I'd like to have a few drinks where the action is and experience the atmosphere." Jiang Chen naturally wasn't interested in the fox-girls.
Jade Revel Lodge conducted their business in a very principled manner. The staff didn't ask who Jiang Chen was and didn't look down on him simply because he'd come alone.
He was led to a seat by the window. Outside, a lake that rippled in the breeze and presented quite a pleasing sight.
"Here's your wine, sir. And the fruit and delicacies you ordered."
Jiang Chen nodded.
"You've come alone, sir. Would you like one of our girls to share a few drinks with you?"
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "I'll let you know if I want a companion."
He had no need of one.
He sat at the table, leisurely enjoying his jug of wine while he used his consciousness to scan the other patrons. They all looked like people of high status. Regular wandering cultivators wouldn't come to a place such as this. The more well-established ones were the exceptions.
Jiang Chen didn't find anything useful after spending some time observing. After all, none of the patrons would announce that they were from the Ten Divine Nations. He was in no hurry. Another large group entered the brothel after fifteen minutes.
Jiang Chen was shocked when he got a good look at them. They were the Polylore geniuses who'd visited Winterdraw. He didn't expect them to come to Miracle City as well!
He hadn't cross paths with them in the Blackwraith Mountains and was now dressed differently. The geniuses therefore didn't notice him.
Jiang Chen counted about a dozen of them. Some of the ones he'd seen were missing, and some that were present were new. The new ones looked a little older, about Jiang Chen's age, if not even more.
The young men he'd seen on Winterdraw were mostly teenagers and young adults. None of them had been over thirty.
The group went straight to the private room they had reserved. Coincidentally, it wasn't far from Jiang Chen's table. He would be able to hear everything that happened inside. He pretended to not notice them. His consciousness, on the other hand, was listening in on their conversation.
They were talking animatedly about House Kuang, Xue, and Xuen of the eight aristocratic families. It was obvious from their tone that they were rejoicing in the three families' suffering. There was no doubt that the eight families didn't get along.
"Haha, I heard that the three families are protesting to Miracle City that the city isn't taking their bounty seriously!"
"They're out of their minds! What an embarrassment to Polylore they are!"
"I know, right? How shameless are they to spread the scandal? It's been such a long time, are all three houses useless? They can't even capture a murderer! No matter how powerful the murderer is, he can't possibly vanish from this world."
"The longer this drags on, the more serious the repercussions are. In my opinion, the three families are going to be the butt of the joke on Myriad Abyss Island if things don't get resolved soon."
"There's no if about it. They already are the butt of the joke!"
From the mocking tones, it was clear that they had no sympathy for the three families. Instead, they found the whole ordeal amusing.
"It's odd. Who exactly is this Jiang Huang? Even the authorities of Winterdraw Island don't know who he is. Moreover, every person he's come in contact with on the island has disappeared without a trace. It's like they never existed."
"Who cares about his identity? He must be someone with great influence. He wouldn't have been able to take out Kuang Rong and Xuan Rui otherwise."
"We got lucky. If we were the ones to get into this mess, we probably wouldn't get off any better than the two of them."
"Pfft, don't compare us to that trash! I don't think Jiang Huang is that strong. They were just too weak."
Wasn't the bounty for two people? How come I've become their only target?
Despite his bafflement, Jiang Chen didn't care that much. He never expected Su Hong to share much of his burden. Besides, he wanted Huang'er to hear about Jiang Huang.
After a while, the group changed the subject to talk about the jade festival.
That was something Jiang Chen was interested in as well. He wanted to know how many delegates there were from the Ten Divine Nations. How had the major factions allocated their quota?
"I've been walking around Miracle City the past few days. The city really has created many miracles when it comes to ancient jade."
"True. It's about the only attraction in the Bluesmoke Isles. The ancient jade stones contain many heritages left from the ancient times. Encountering one of them will be a once in a lifetime experience."
"Uh huh! That's why the Ten Divine Nations is putting so much emphasis on the festival. They're hoping they'll get lucky."
"Bluesmoke is generous to invite us here without asking for anything in return. If we take all the good stuff, they're going to feel the loss keenly."
"Tsk, they're just trying to butter up the Ten Divine Nations like the Rejuvenation Isles."
"You're wrong. Bluesmoke isn't at the same level as Rejuvenation. In Rejuvenation's case, it's an attempt to curry favor. In Bluesmoke's case, it's a favor given. The circumstances are different."
"Maybe so. Bluesmoke is very well governed. Everything is in perfect order. It's miles ahead of Rejuvenation."
Jiang Chen could tell from their comments that they preferred the Bluesmoke Isles and took issue with Rejuvenation. The conversation was sporadic, and the topics they talked about were trivial. Frankly, it was getting rather boring.
"Why aren't you saying anything, Brother Ye Zhou?" One of them suddenly piped up.
"Hehe, don't you know that our Brother Ye Zhou is in love?"
"What? Is it true, Brother Ye Zhou?"
A slightly older man smiled slightly. "Keep chatting. Why did you drag this foolish brother into your conversation? Don't spread such nonsense, or I'll kick your butt."
Ye Zhou was clearly a mild-tempered man. It was obvious that he was the most respected and influential person in the group. And yet these young geniuses had dared to tease him.
Of course, they knew not to cross the line with their jokes, lest they upset Ye Zhou.
"Is it true that you're in love, Brother Ye Zhou? Who's the girl?"
"Hehe, there are sixteen golden hairpins in the Ten Divine Nations. Shall we have a guess at which Brother Ye Zhou has set his eyes on?"
Sixteen golden hairpins?
Jiang Chen blinked in surprise. That was a thing? Was this kind of thing part of the popular culture in the Ten Divine Nations?
"Is she from our Polylore?"
"Nonsense. If it's someone from Polylore, it'd be an honor for the woman no matter who she is."
"Hehe, among the eight aristocratic families in Polylore, House Ye is the unequivocal first. Among the sixteen beauties, only one of them is from Polylore, and that one's Brother Ye Zhou's younger sister, Ye Ying. So I don't think the woman Brother Ye Zhou's in love with is from Polylore."
"Come on, Brother Ye Zhou, tell us! Maybe we'll be able to give you some ideas."
Ye Zhou was a handsome and elegant man. There was an air of nobility to him. He folded his fan and knocked on the table. "Alright, you're forgetting yourself. Drink up and stop gossiping."
The young men laughed and cheered as they drank. Their deference for Ye Zhou was obvious.
"Let me guess, Brother Ye Zhou, is it Holy Girl Yao Guang from Radiance Divine Nation?"
"Or Miss Yuling from Martial Divine Nation?"
"Yan Qinghuang from Eternal Divine Nation?"
Jiang Chen took notice when he heard the name Yan Qinghuang. He didn't care about the others. Yan Qinghuang was Huang'er's full name. His curiosity was therefore piqued.
Is Huang'er one of the sixteen golden hairpins of the Ten Divine Nations?
To put it simply, a golden hairpin was a woman as beautiful as a goddess, publicly acclaimed for her beauty. The list of sixteen in the Ten Divine Nations ranked the top comprehensive beauties. Everything from talent to popularity was taken into account.
Jiang Chen missed some of the conversation due to his distraction.
"Give us a hint, Brother Ye Zhou. It must be one of the sixteen beauties. My guess is Miss Yuling. Am I right?"
"By the way, do you know how many of the sixteen beauties have come this time?"
"I know that Holy Girl Yao Guang is here. Miss Yuling too."
"Also Holy Girl Si Tong from Sunrise Divine Nation."
The group demonstrated their deep reserves of information. They brought up every of the sixteen beauties with great familiarity.
Chapter 1634: Houses Yan and Xiahou
The fellows continued in heated discussion about the Ten Divine Nations' sixteen beauties.
"That's right, has Eternal Divine Nation's Miss Yan Qinghuang come?"
"She shouldn't have, right?"
"I hear that because of past enmity between their houses, she was reserved by House Xiahou's Xiahou Zong when she was young?"
"Something like that, yeah. House Xiahou has grown rapidly in recent years, while House Yan has only declined. What a shame. Miss Huang'er is in the top three among the sixteen, but she's fated to become Xiahou Zong's cultivation vessel."
"Isn't Xiahou Zong worried that he'll become a public enemy in our circle?"
"Heh, that's between their two houses. It's not our place to interfere."
"That's not technically wrong, but it's a waste for someone like her to become a cultivation vessel. What a buzz kill. I think many geniuses will secretly hate Xiahou Zong. If there's a battle between geniuses of different divine nations in the future, he'll have no shortage of eager opponents. Many will target him without even realizing it!"
"That's definitely possible, though I hear Xiahou Zong's extremely talented and capable. If he's not the top genius in the Eternal Divine Nation, he's at least one of the best contenders for it. I hear that House Xiahou has boasted he'll take the crown in a battle between the Ten Divine Nations' younger generation."
"What, he thinks he'll win? I hope his bite can match up to his bark. If he wants that accolade, he'll have to answer to our Brother Ye Zhou first!"
"Enough," Ye Zhou smiled coolly. "We shouldn't gossip about others behind their backs. I've met Xiahou Zong once, and he is every bit as talented as they say. But every participant in the battle of geniuses is a genius himself, no? Perhaps the bit about taking the crown is only hearsay."
"Has Xiahou Zong come to the festival?"
"I hear he's been cultivating behind closed doors for several years now. He hasn't come out yet, right? If he did, Miss Huang'er would be done for."
"So he shouldn't have come then."
"What does it matter to us? I don't give a hoot about him. I just want to know whether Miss Huang'er's here."
"No idea. Let's ask someone from the Eternal Divine Nation when we spot one next."
"Why ask? The jade festival is about to begin. She'll be at the festival if she's come at all."
"Haha, you're right. Just the thought of seeing the sixteen beauties together is so crazy exciting. They'd be the most beautiful sight in the world!"
"Oh, for sure. I'd give up ten years of my life for a single look at the full set."
Jiang Chen found the conversation rather amusing. These so-called geniuses from the Ten Divine Nations weren't so different from ordinary people. The only significant distinction was their status and social circles.
The affairs they paid attention to, the things they cared about – there were more similarities there to normal cultivators. Martial dao, pretty women, and all kinds of exciting rumors and stories.
As he lost himself in their words, another group came up from the corner of the stairs.
Polylore Divine Nation's group caught sight of them from the window. "Aren't those guys from Eternal?" someone cried out.
There was a dozen or so in this new group as well, demarcated into a number of different houses.
Jiang Chen was shaken by the loud comment. He glanced over at the group at the top of the stairs.
Huang'er was nowhere to be found.
He burst into quiet laughter. His concern had overtaken reason. How would a girl like Huang'er come to a pleasure house like this? Still, he kept an eye on the Eternal group with his peripheral vision. He wanted to see if anyone else from House Yan was here.
"Yan Jinnan, I invited Brother Xiahou for you. You said you were going to apologize on your house's behalf to him. I'd like to see your sincerity in that." One of the youths who looked rather pale in the face delivered this indifferently to another in a yellow tunic.
The young man in yellow was Yan Jinnan, a scion of House Yan. His expression was full of appeasement and servility.
There were a few others dressed similarly near him. They were clearly from House Yan as well, having invited a number of their peers from Eternal's other large factions.
But everyone deferred to a silver-eyed young man. He looked almost boyish, yet had a mane of signature, silver hair. The silvery locks near his temples were especially striking. While he stood, no one else dared sit. They were uniformly meek in their attitudes toward him.
"Everyone, sit down and talk." The silver-eyed youth was another genius from Eternal's House Xiahou, Xiahou Xi.
The others in his group complied with his declaration, save for a few simpering youths from House Yan.
"Big brother Xiahou, we ventured to invite you here today as a token of apology… please feel free to spend as much as you like today. House Yan will pay for everything, as long as you're happy." Yan Jinnan tried to liven up the atmosphere.
He fawned palpably over Xiahou Xi. He was very much worried about relations between House Yan and House Xiahou. If they worsened, the former could very well be pushed out of the ranks of first-rate factions by the other houses.
No one in the house wanted to see that.
Yan Jinnan was sending out a friendly signal through this private gathering to butter up Xiahou Xi as well as his Eternal Divine Nation peers. His objective was to not get kicked out of their social circle.
"Yan Jinnan, was it?" Xiahou Xi smiled faintly. "How come House Yan's biggest genius isn't here? Where's Yan Zhenhuai?"
"Haha, he's cultivating behind closed doors right now. The house didn't tell him to come."
"Is that so? What a shame." Xiahou Xi's tone was even-handed and difficult to respond to.
Outside, Jiang Chen was secretly astonished. Yan Jinnan, Xiahou Xi!
From what it sounded like, someone from House Yan was trying to curry favor with House Xiahou. And I just happened to run into it!
This immediately piqued his interest. The relationship between Houses Yan and Xiahou was what he was most concerned about currently. This directly related to Huang'er's circumstances.
"Big brother Xiahou, Brother Zhenhuai has always said that you were one of the top geniuses of House Xiahou. He's reminded us time and again to constantly ask for your advice and greet you with respect. That's why we brothers dared to request your generous presence today."
Xiahou Xi smiled coolly. "Alright, enough with the courtesies. I don't represent the rest of my house, you know."
"Yes, yes. We don't either. We merely wanted to express our utmost respect for you." Yan Jinnan was the perfect image of adulation.
Jiang Chen inwardly shook his head. House Yan didn't appear to be in a good spot if such kowtowing was reasonable. Xiahou Xi's presumptuous airs indicated a total disregard for the people acting as his lackeys today.
"Yan Jinnan, how come I hear that Yan Qinghuang came to Miracle City as well?" Xiahou Xi asked suddenly.
Yan Jinnan trembled. The blood went out of his face, but he dared not deny it. "Yes, she did. The house didn't want her to come, but she threatened us with death. She really wanted to get some fresh air, you see, and no one wanted to push her too far. The house elders are keeping an eye on her, so she shouldn't be able to pull off any tricks. I doubt she has any hope left anyway. She's done nothing out of the ordinary so far."
Xiahou Xi snickered. "House Yan should keep a closer tab this time. If something happens, you better watch out for House Xiahou's fury."
"Yes, yes, she won't be allowed to escape our control again!" guaranteed Yan Jinnan.
Jiang Chen's heart was set aflame. Such fortuitous news!
It was fantastic that Huang'er had come. Unfortunately, she lived under the watchful eye of her house elders. It wasn't possible for her to do much to resist.
He was overcome with emotion. Huang'er's fine. She's alright still.
As long as that was the case, no other bad news could faze him. This was the only thing he'd wanted to hear. Moreover, she was here in Miracle City too!
I have to see her. His heart raced with anticipation.
Though Huang'er would certainly appear at the jade festival, Jiang Chen couldn't wait that long. He wasn't much interested in listening to these guys talk anymore. He wanted to sprout wings and fly to where Huang'er was. But where was she? Miracle City was such an enormous place. It wasn't going to be easy to find her without at least a hint.
That's right, if Yan Jinnan and his groupies are in the same house as Huang'er, they should share the same accommodations. If I follow him back, I'll know where Huang'er lives!
An issue with that idea popped into his head immediately. The Ten Divine Nations' accommodations must be very well hidden. I may be caught if I blindly follow House Yan's youths. If the house's elders are alerted ahead of time to my intentions, it will be very bad for us.
This made him hesitate as to what to do next. From what he could glean from Yan Jinnan's words, Huang'er was under strict supervision. It would be nearly impossible to approach Huang'er without her captors not noticing.
Sneaking into House Yan's temporary residence was nothing but a daydream. Jiang Chen's current cultivation level couldn't remotely accomplish that feat, even considering his concealment talisman.
I need to find a more aboveboard way of getting into where House Yan is. Jiang Chen's brain began to whir with a new plan. His eyes lingered on Yan Jinnan and company. If there was a point of attack to be found, it would be through these people.
Still, he was thoroughly disgusted by how Yan Jinnan fawned over Xiahou Xi. The man was vile all around. A genius of a large faction without any self-respect was worthless.
One of the other geniuses from House Yan looked different. A lanky youth didn't seem to be particularly pleased about the proceedings. Though his companions hinted to him otherwise, he didn't cooperate willingly; his brow was slightly furrowed the entire time.
He looks a bit more interesting. Jiang Chen locked his consciousness onto the new guy.
Chapter 1635: Approaching Proactively
Jiang Chen couldn't bear to see Yan Jinnan's deferential attitude, but it wasn't his place to interfere. Instead, he focused his gaze upon the thin youth. This House Yan scion was evidently being forced against his will.
A single round of toasts later, the youth put his cup down and raised a cupped fist salute. "Friends, I have a few matters to attend to. Please excuse me." He motioned to leave as soon as he finished saying this farewell.
Yan Jinnan's face darkened. "What are you doing, Qingsang?"
The lanky youth's name was Yan Qingsang. As a young genius of his house, his position was possibly even lower than Yan Jinnan's. His heart was in the right place though, and he was a straightforward sort. He couldn't stand Yan Jinnan's obsequious behavior and thus was taking his leave early.
"Brother Jinnan, I haven't felt well these past few days. Perhaps my inner demons are attacking me. Please suffer this small indiscretion and allow me to return and rest." Yan Qingsang was filled with a bellyful of displeasure, but he knew this wasn't the time to get angry. The most he could do was bite it back and take a low posture.
Yan Jinnan was somewhat exasperated. It had taken quite a bit of effort to get Xiahou Xi to come, and for what? For maintaining their social standing, obviously! He didn't want House Yan's young geniuses to be pushed out and ostracized by their peers in Eternal Divine Nation.
Why was Yan Qingsang not playing along with him at such a critical time? He wasn't happy at all.
"Sit down!" Yan Jinnan commanded.
Xiahou Xi laughed softly. "It seems you barely have any authority in House Yan, Yan Jinnan. If you can't settle affairs at home, why invite the rest of us? Did you want us to come laugh at you?"
Everyone in attendance cackled and jeered. The words added insult to injury; Yan Jinnan's expression became even darker.
The young geniuses from the other houses had no skin in the game. They peered at Yan Jinnan through supercilious smiles, not a single one interested in interceding for him.
Yan Qingsang became blue in the face. He stood in place, his chest heaving a little. The other two scions of House Yan also glared at him, pressuring him as well as they could.
After an internal struggle, Yan Qingsang exhaled softly. "Sorry, Brother Jinnan. Apologies, everyone." Raising a cupped fist salute once more, he went down the stairs without turning back.
Yan Jinnan flew into a rage. He stood up and was about to give chase when Polylore's room door opened.
Ye Zhou marched out, the other geniuses from his divine nation close behind.
"It sure is lively outside," he smiled. "Fellow geniuses from Eternal Divine Nation, hmm? I am Ye Zhou."
Ye Zhou?
Everyone from Eternal colored at the name. Even Xiahou Xi had to stand.
Ye Zhou was a genius from Polylore's strongest house, House Ye. Moreover, he was as well known and reputed as Xiahou Xi's clan brother, Xiahou Zong.
Even the arrogant genius from House Xiahou was diminished before him.
"Big brother Ye Zhou." Xiahou Xi's arrogance was completely gone. His tone became exceedingly humble. "This little brother is Xiahou Xi. My heartfelt greetings."
"Greetings, big brother Ye Zhou." All of the geniuses from Eternal Divine Nation raised cupped fist salutes.
Ye Zhou smiled a little. "We are all fellow daoists and travelers. There's no need for so much courtesy. What a shame that Brother Xiahou Zong hasn't come today, though. I've missed him since our last meeting."
Xiahou Xi laughed ingratiatingly. "Big brother Zong has often mentioned you as well, big brother Ye Zhou. He says you are one of the few he respects in our generation."
Ye Zhou was clearly a well-composed individual. He didn't become puffed up because of Xiahou Xi's praise. "He rates me too highly then."
Conveniently enough, the meeting of the two groups covered for Yan Qingsang's departure. Though Yan Jinnan was still sore about it, there was no place for him to speak now. He awkwardly stood to the side.
Jiang Chen had no interest in listening to the two groups catch up with each other. He glanced at Ye Zhou, committing the young man to memory, then put down what he owed for his drinks and left.
Once outside of the establishment, he saw that Yan Qingsang had gone several miles ahead of him. He caught up quickly with the indignant youth.
"Please give me a moment, friend." This was no time to be shy. Jiang Chen called out to Yan Qingsang.
The young man in question wasn't in a good mood. He blinked when he turned around. "Who're you?"
Jiang Chen smiled a little. "Just a patron at Jade Revel Lodge just now."
"You followed me?" Yan Qingsang's eyes widened in fury. He was typically a nice enough person, but events in recent memory had made him extremely irritable. Plus, no one would be happy about being followed.
"Oh, don't misunderstand!" Jiang Chen waved hurriedly, offering another smile. "I had a business proposition I wanted to be so bold as to ask you about. I'm looking for a reliable partner, you see."
"Not interested." As a scion of a great house, Yan Qingsang was uninterested in commercial ventures. Compared to that, Yan Jinnan's shameless behavior was a much more interesting sticking point. House Yan really was going downhill if that kind of groveling was necessary!
Jiang Chen sighed. "Are all the geniuses from the Ten Divine Nations as patronizing as this? How sad. I have a perfect plan for making a ton of stones. It won't work if no one recognizes my talent."
"What kind of 'perfect plan' do you have?" Yan Qingsang sneered.
Because Jiang Chen was dressed like a wandering cultivator, the young man from House Yan was rather suspicious whether the stranger had anything of value to offer in the first place.
"Are you interested in hearing about it, friend?" Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "It's related to the jade festival."
"No." Yan Qingsang shook his head, turned around, and set off.
"How absurd. I don't know exactly where you come from, friend, but I happened to see everything that happened in the Jade Revel Lodge. Your status in the house is quite average, no? And your house is quite average among its peers too. If you're unhappy about these things, why not take a chance to improve your position? And perhaps your house's too, in the process."
Jiang Chen hit several key notes in Yan Qingsang's heart. It was enough to compel the youth to halt in his tracks.
"What're you getting at?" Yan Qingsang stared at Jiang Chen coldly.
"The Bluesmoke Isles has placed a lot of importance on this jade festival. Many ancient ruins are being opened up to the public. Aren't the Ten Divine Nations gathered together here to search for treasure?"
"So what if we are?"
"There you have it then. I've a method I inherited from my forefathers to identify ancient jade with striking accuracy. Because I'm a wandering cultivator, I won't be able to make it out intact with too much treasure. That's why I want a larger faction I can cooperate with, ideally one with a good sense of right and wrong. After all, I'm not interested in sleeping with the fishes after my usefulness is spent." Jiang Chen had already made up this speech when he exited the Lodge.
Yan Qingsang scrutinized the purported guru before him more closely.
"Identifying ancient jade? If you have that kind of skill, wouldn't Bluesmoke be turned upside down by now? You can only trick little children with a lie like that!"
"Haha, none of my ancestors are as talented as I am. It seems I've learned it better than any of those before me. I've only recently made my way into the world, so I haven't had time to test extensively yet, but I have profited several times over already. If you don't believe me, why don't we try it on any jade store you like?"
"What's your success rate?" mused Yan Qingsang.
"When most people bet on jade, they rely on their luck alone. The more skillful gamblers might be able to strike gold one in a thousand times. But my method has to do with the uniqueness of my bloodline as well. I can get it right somewhere between one in ten to a hundred."
Jiang Chen didn't paint too grand a picture.
"Oh?" Yan Qingsang became more interested. "You sure you're not making stuff up?"
"Try me." Jiang Chen smiled faintly.
"Alright. I'd like to see if you really are as good as you say." Yan Qingsang wanted to see this miraculous skill with his own eyes.
"Pick any jade store you like. You'll see that I'm not tricking you then." Jiang Chen was forthright about it because he wanted to win Yan Qingsang's trust.
The young man from House Yan nodded. "Sure. Like you said, I'll pick."
He'd become strangely trusting because of Jiang Chen's confidence. They strode toward a street with an abundance of jade stores. Such avenues were trivial to find in Miracle City.
Yan Qingsang didn't head for a large store. Instead, he arbitrarily chose a smaller one. "Here's fine."
Jiang Chen nodded. "Alright. If you're not happy with the place, we can switch anytime."
"I see no problems with here," Yan Qingsang chuckled. "If you can find one piece of valuable jade within a hundred, I'll believe you."
"I don't think we'll need that many. Thirty should be enough. I'll have to select the ore myself though."
"Of course," Yan Qingsang acquiesced readily.
They wandered around the store. Jiang Chen slowly searched the stockpiles on the shelves. There wasn't much jade that contained ancient heritage in the first place. Sometimes none existed even in a hundred pieces. Therefore, the selection process wasn't an easy one.
He made one round, then a second.
"The jade here is too mediocre. Shopkeeper, is there any new stock?" asked Jiang Chen.
"There's a VIP area inside. However, the price will be three times that of here," the shopkeeper replied.
"Well, let's go have a look." Yan Qingsang took the initiative.
Under the guidance of an employee, the two men entered the VIP area. There were significantly fewer people here, though plenty of jade still. As a result, there was much less competition for rifling through the ore.
Jiang Chen nodded slightly to himself, then renewed his search.
It didn't take long this time. He carefully combed through the stockpiles for an hour before he produced twenty pieces of raw jade. "These will do."
"Friend, each piece here is three thousand sky spirit stones."
"I'll take them. Wrap them up for me." Yan Qingsang made the purchase without thinking twice. A scion of House Yan didn't need to care about such a trifling sum.
Chapter 1636: Completing the First Step of the Goal
Yan Qingsang handled payment. He hadn't interfered at all while Jiang Chen was selecting the ores. Once they left the shop, he asked calmly, "Do you think there's any ancient jade among these ores?"
"The possibility is very high," Jiang Chen answered with a smile. "If you don't believe me, we can go have them appraised."
He'd picked the ores with great care. There might not be a hidden treasure of the kind he'd discovered in Oriole Valley, but he believed there was at least one ancient jade with heritage in the batch.
"Come then." Yan Qingsang wasn't one to waste time on talking.
They entered another shop. It took many steps to appraise an ore, which wasn't something they could do manually.
A formation designed to process the ores was needed to peel away the surface. It required a professional's delicate approach throughout. One mistake was all it took to compromise the ore's structure and destroy the ancient jade. Therefore, not everyone could process an ore on their own. Thankfully, the processing fee wasn't that expensive.
The two of them paid the fee and followed the processing expert into the workshop. The expert fired up the formation and got to work. When he got to the sixteenth ore, he breathed lowly, "There's something here!"
The surface of the ore was gradually ground down to reveal the glow of an ancient jade. In no time at all, the entire ancient jade was on display for all to see.
The expert sucked in a breath. "Hot damn, this sure is something. I can say for sure it's of premium quality. Are you willing to sell it, my friend?"
"How much will you pay for it?" Yan Qingsang asked nonchalantly.
"This peasant can't afford it! But I can contact a buyer. According to my estimation, this is worth at least a couple millions!"
Jiang Chen smiled. "We're not selling for anything less than three million!"
The expert simpered. "You know the business alright. You might be able to get three million If you auction the jade, but stores will only pay about one and a half million to one million eight hundred thousand! If you're going to auction it, the price will be affected by the market, and there'll be a processing fee."
"Alright, there are still some ores left. I'll keep going." The expert calmed himself and continued to process the ores. There were no other surprises. The rest of the ores yielded nothing. But the one hunk of jade alone was good enough.
Yan Qingsang still hadn't recovered after they left the shop. He held up the ancient jade and considered it. It was a fine piece of wild ancient jade. A mild cooling presence brimmed inside. It was likely to be a treasure that imparted calm and serenity.
What was special about Bluesmoke Jade was that every piece of wild jade contained a different heritage and served a different purpose.
Some were ingredients for medicine. Some could be used to refine other treasures. Some could be worn as personal items. Some recorded ancient cultivation methods. Others held great energy. There was even jade that contained ancient bloodlines.
One could say that Bluesmoke Jade contained the most fascinating ancient jades in Myriad Abyss Island. That was why it was so popular, and why people from the Ten Divine Nations were willing to come all the way for it.
The prospect of high return made it an attractive investment. Buying a random piece of jade could give one ten, a hundred, or even a thousand times the value back.
Yan Qingsang couldn't be more excited. It took some time for him to calm down. He stared at Jiang Chen. "I still haven't asked your name, my friend."
"I am Shao Yuan."
The alias Jiang Huang could no longer be used after what'd happened in WInterdraw, so Jiang Chen picked the old name he had used in the human domain.
The human domain was worlds apart from this place, and Shao Yuan had never been that well known. Even in the human domain, only a handful of people knew of it. More importantly, Huang'er knew the name Shao Yuan.
If one day the alias was burned as well, Jiang Chen planned to use the identity Zhen Shi the pill king, which Huang'er knew as well.
However, Pill King Zhen was too famous. Jiang Chen worried that Elder Xi might have heard of it. That was why Jiang Chen chose to call himself Shao Yuan rather than Pill King Zhen.
"Very good. I'm curious, Shao Yuan," said Yan Qingsang. "Do you know me?"
Jiang Chen shook his head. "We've never met."
"Then why did you pick me?" Yan Qingsang remained cautious even though a great opportunity was waving at him.
"It was just good timing. I've been looking for geniuses from the Ten Divine Nations to find myself a reliable partner, but you know how geniuses from big factions are. Many of them aren't necessarily dependable. I won't settle for anyone but the trustworthy sort."
Yan Qingsang smiled slightly. "Oh? You think I'm trustworthy?"
"You were the most upstanding one from the group at your table. That Jinnan from your family? Not so much."
Yan Qingsang sighed. "Don't say that. He holds a higher status in the family than I do."
"He might not in the future." Jiang Chen smiled faintly.
Yan Qingsang perked up. It was obvious that he was seriously considering the possibility as well.
"I still don't know your name after all this time, my friend." Jiang Chen knew the answer already but just wanted to get more information.
"I'm Yan Qingsang from House Yan of the Eternal Divine Nation."
"House Yan?" Jiang Chen affected a surprised look. "So you are from the famous House Yan. I thought it was different Yan character and was wondering who you were."
Since he had assumed the role of a wandering cultivator, he shouldn't appear to be too knowledgeable, or his cover might be blown.
"Do you know House Yan?"
"I've heard of it." Jiang Chen nodded. "Before you entered the brothel, the men from Polylore Divine Nation were talking about House Yan."
"Oh?" Yan Qingsang blinked. "What did they say?"
"They mentioned a woman from your family and a House Xiahou. Oh, and they talked about the sixteen golden hairpins."
Yan Qingsang scoffed. "How ridiculous. They waste all their time talking about women."
Jiang Chen knew when to stop and turned to Yan Qingsang. "The jade festival is coming in a few days, Brother Yan. Please tell me if you'd like to take my offer. If you don't, I'll look for another partner. I'm going big or going home."
Determination flashed through Yan Qingsang's eyes. "I'll do it. There's no reason for me to turn you down. But what can I do for you?"
"You don't have to do anything but to lend me your identity as a member of House Yan. I'll give you half of the ancient jade I acquire in the festival."
Yan Qingsang hummed. "You're taking only ores from the mines. Why would anyone give you trouble even if you take a great amount with you?"
Jiang Chen smiled. "You're underestimated those of the world. I have a secret method. Who knows if anyone else of higher power in the Bluesmoke Isles won't be able to sense what I can do?
"If there's someone like that, you know better than I do what will happen to a wandering cultivator in possession of great treasure."
Yan Qinsang found no flaws in Jiang Chen's explanation after a once-over. He made up his mind. "Alright. We have a deal."
Jiang Chen mentally celebrated his success, but kept a calm expression. "Then we should find a place to go over the details."
Yan Qingsang checked the sky. "It's getting late. How about another day?"
"Time is precious. If we don't talk about the details, all our work may turn out to be for nothing. Besides, I have to get to know Brother Yan as well. I don't want my efforts to be in vain. How about we talk in the inn I'm staying at?" Jiang Chen played a masterful game of cat and mouse.
"I..." Yang Qingsang hesitated before shaking his head. "My family has strict rules. What's more, I got into an argument with Yan Jinnan today. If I don't return tonight, he's going to talk me down in front of the elders again."
"Well… that's a problem." Jiang Chen put on a hesitant look.
Yan Qingsang gave it a moment. "How about you come back to where I live, and we'll talk there?"
He was a cautious man. He didn't think anyone would dare take advantage of House Yan, but there were precautions he had to take. It was safer to invite Jiang Chen back to the manor than to go to this stranger's inn. Yan Qingsang had nothing to worry about in his own territory.
Besides, he wanted to keep Jiang Chen in his pocket and prevent him from going to other people. He wouldn't let the others acquire the help of someone with such a unique skill. The opportunity to profit was his and his alone.
It was undeniable that Yan Qingsang had a quick mind. Nonetheless, he would never fathom that his offer was exactly what Jiang Chen had been angling for from the beginning. He wanted to get closer to the manor the Yan families were staying in. His heart pounded at Yan Qingsang's invitation.
Jiang Chen almost blurted out his agreement, but he managed to stop himself. In a hesitant tone, he said, "Is that appropriate? I've heard that the biggest factions in the Ten Divine Nations are staying in the most obscure regions in Miracle City. No one knows where to find you. If wandering cultivators like me barge into your manor unnoticed, won't the elders in your family disapprove of me, or even threaten me?"
"Relax. I'm not a complete nobody in the family. Who's going to criticize my friend? The family didn't ban us from making friends in the Bluesmoke Isles!"
Jiang Chen sighed. "Alright, I hope Brother Yan is telling the truth. I did come to you because I trusted you."
"It's fate that you came to me. As long as you don't betray me, I promise that I won't betray you."
"Then here's to a happy partnership."
The two of them high-fived to seal the deal and broke into laughter.
Yan Qingsang led Jiang Chen back to the family manor. They arrived at their destination after roughly an hour.