章節 21: Chapter 21: The Faction Opens
Jiang Rong looked at Dantai Qingrun, who was talking confidently, and suddenly felt a sense of relief, "I remember when you were first reassigned here, you were particularly impulsive, not as methodical and patient as you are now."
Dantai Qingrun was stunned for a moment and then realized, somewhat helplessly, "Uncle Rong, you're at it again."
Jiang Rong had actually been ready to agree to Lu Qingshan's request for cooperation from the beginning.
Dantai Qingrun had thought of it, so how could he not have considered it?
The reason he had raised so many points was actually just to guide Dantai Qingrun to make the decision himself to agree to cooperate with Lu Qingshan.
—Even if his experience was more seasoned, the Tower Master of Yuanshan Tower was still Dantai Qingrun, not him, Jiang Rong.
The only person who could make the decision was Dantai Qingrun.
Jiang Rong neither wanted nor would act to overstep his bounds.
"Shall I let that young man come in now?"
Dantai Qingrun nodded.
Jiang Rong swept his sleeve, and the black mist filling the room instantly disappeared.
After lifting the silence restriction.
"Come in," Jiang Rong opened the door and said to Lu Qingshan standing outside.
Lu Qingshan followed Jiang Rong back into the room.
"How do you want to cooperate?" Dantai Qingrun raised an eyebrow and got straight to the point, "What do you want?"
Lu Qingshan thought for a moment and then asked, "You've captured the Blood Corpse, haven't you?"
Jiang Rong said in a grave voice, "Based on the information you provided, we captured him quickly, and he's now detained in the Prison Warden Office of Yuanshan Tower."
"I want the Blood Corpse," Lu Qingshan said, looking at Dantai Qingrun's cold face calmly.
"We're still interrogating the Blood Corpse, and he hasn't said anything yet. Once he has divulged the information he knows, we can hand him over to you," Jiang Rong interjected.
"I want him now," Lu Qingshan stated firmly, unmoved by Jiang Rong's words.
Dantai Qingrun's eyes flickered, and he watched Lu Qingshan, unsure what he was thinking.
Lu Qingshan remained composed under Dantai Qingrun's gaze.
Finally, a glint of sharpness passed through Dantai Qingrun's eyes as he lightly tapped the table, "The Blood Corpse was caught because of your information. If you want him, he's yours!"
"However..." Dantai Qingrun's eyebrows furrowed slightly, he said softly, "I want to know, why are you so eager to demand this demon cultivator from me?"
"I just want his life," Lu Qingshan responded calmly.
Dantai Qingrun glanced meaningfully at Lu Qingshan, not dwelling further on the Blood Corpse's matter.
Lu Qingshan pondered and then said, "I said from the start that the information about the Blood Corpse was a gesture of goodwill, a gift to you.
Now that I'm asking you for the Blood Corpse, I naturally won't let you suffer a loss for nothing. I'll give you another piece of information, as an exchange."
Hearing Lu Qingshan's words, a trace of brightness flickered in Dantai Qingrun's eyes.
"Qi Yuan of Zhenjiang is also in Yuanshan City now, isn't he?" Lu Qingshan asked.
"Guardian Qi of Observing Heaven is a spiritual cultivator with profound skills and acts covertly; not many know of his actions. I'm starting to think you know far more than we imagined," Jiang Rong said, looking at Lu Qingshan word by word.
Lu Qingshan remained noncommittal, "Observing Heaven is one of the seven major sects and has the closest ties with the Great Xia Imperial Clan.
And as an organization affiliated with the Great Xia Imperial Clan, the Tower Master would likely have ongoing cooperative relations with Observing Heaven. If anyone in Yuanshan City knew the whereabouts of Guardian Qi, I think it would only be you, Dantai Tower Master."
Dantai Qingrun didn't deny it, "Yes, half a month ago, Guardian Qi detected a blood pool on the outskirts of Yuanshan City through a shard of the Heavenly Secret Mirror and sensed an ominous presence, so he personally came to investigate the area.
He also sought us out at Yuanshan Tower to assist him thoroughly in investigating the surroundings, but to date, nothing has been found.
It's all very mysterious. We're all quite worried that the Netherworld is plotting some major conspiracy, possibly targeting Yuanshan City."
Looking at Lu Qingshan's stoic expression, complexity flashed across Dantai Qingrun's face, "Do you know something?"
Lu Qingshan nodded and said straightforwardly, "Yes, I not only know the location of the blood pool you've been searching for.
Moreover, I also know that the Netherworld's real target isn't Yuanshan City as you think, but rather Guardian Qi—or, more precisely, the shard of the Heavenly Secret Mirror he wields."
Dantai Qingrun's face flickered with surprise, and he asked in astonishment, "What do you mean?"
"Netherworld is planning to design a theft of Qi Yuan's subordinate's Heavenly Secret Mirror during its use on July 15th, when Qi Yuan will utilize it again to 'Observe Heaven,'" Lu Qingshan asserted.
Why would Netherworld wait until July 15th to begin their operation to steal the Heavenly Secret Mirror sub-mirror from Qi Yuan's possession?
As Lu Qingshan recalled the attributes of the Heavenly Secret Mirror sub-mirror, he understood these key points.
The Heavenly Secret Mirror sub-mirror must have been refined by Qi Yuan into his personal Magic Artifact, mostly residing within Qi Yuan's Dantian.
There were only two ways to steal the Heavenly Secret Mirror sub-mirror.
One, kill Qi Yuan and then seize the mirror.
Two, wait for Qi Yuan to actively use the Heavenly Secret Mirror sub-mirror and then take the opportunity to steal it.
History records that on July 15th, Qi Yuan only lost the Heavenly Secret Mirror; he was otherwise unharmed.
Clearly, Netherworld must have chosen the second method.
The Heavenly Secret Mirror sub-mirror holds no enhancement to combat, so besides using the technique of Observing Heaven, Qi Yuan normally would not use the Heavenly Secret Mirror sub-mirror.
When Qi Yuan first discovered the Blood Pool on July 1st, he utilized Observing Heaven once to investigate the Blood Pool.
If he continues to be unable to locate the Blood Pool in Yuanshan City, then Qi Yuan will inevitably use Observing Heaven again to search for the location of the Blood Pool.
The cooldown time for the technique of Observing Heaven is fifteen natural days.
The next time Qi Yuan could use Observing Heaven would be July 15th!
Thus, clearly, Netherworld planned to seize the mirror while Qi Yuan used Observing Heaven for the second time.
Standing aside, Jiang Rong could hardly believe it, "How did you come to know this?"
For such a significant action, based on their understanding of Netherworld, such information would definitely not be easily divulged.
Yet, Lu Qingshan not only knew the plans but could even pinpoint the exact timing of the action, as if he were one of the participants, which inevitably aroused Jiang Rong's suspicion.
Lu Qingshan chuckled lightly, "I am only responsible for providing information. As for the source of the information, I am not at liberty to disclose it."
"Whether you believe it or not is entirely up to you."
After hesitating for a moment.
"Where is the location of the Blood Pool?" Dantai Qingrun's cold gaze fixed on Lu Qingshan as he spoke icily.
"Do you have a map of Yuanshan City?" Lu Qingshan asked.
Dantai Qingrun nodded and a scroll suddenly appeared in his hand, detailedly depicting all the terrain and locations surrounding Yuanshan City.
A very detailed map.
Lu Qingshan took the map from Dantai Qingrun, laid it flat on the table, and lightly tapped on a specific spot on the map.
"This is the location of the Blood Pool," Lu Qingshan did not hide it, pointing directly to the location of the Blood Pool: "The Blood Pool is concealed by a high-level Illusion Array, which is why you have not been able to find it. The reason Qi Yuan was able to easily discover the Blood Pool initially is that it was merely bait, a ruse by Netherworld intentionally exposed to lure Qi Yuan to Yuanshan City. Netherworld's real target was Qi Yuan's Heavenly Secret Mirror sub-mirror."
"As a trade for the information on the Blood Corpse, I have already given it, so..."
Jiang Rong was silent for a moment, but finally nodded, "I will have my subordinates take you to where the Blood Corpse is imprisoned."
...
"You have officially joined the knowledge defense campaign."
"You have now formed a cooperative relationship with Yuanshan Tower (a branch of the knowledge defense campaign)."
"Yuanshan Tower organization favorability increased by 50."
"Knowledge defense campaign organization favorability increased by 5."
"Yuanshan Tower: Friendly (50) — [Initial Cooperation]."
"Knowledge defense campaign: Friendly (5) — [Yuanshan Tower Collaborator]."
In "Nine Heavens," there are eight levels of faction favorability.
From highest to lowest, they are: Revered (2000 and above), Respected (500 to 2000), Enthusiastic (200 to 499), Friendly (0 to 199), Indifferent (-1 to -199), Repelled (-200 to -499), Disliked (-500 to -2000), Hated (-2000 and below).
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