Volume II: Snow in Qinchuan Chapter 32: Sacrificing the Sword (Part Two)

Guessed?

Did you really take me for a fool?

Zhou Zihan looked at Feng Qi and said calmly, "I don't believe it."

Feng Qi spread his hands. "Well, nothing I can do then. I honestly just guessed."

Zhou Zihan stared at him quietly, her gaze dead serious.

Feng Qi forced a wry smile. "I really did guess. The Blood Mist Technique is the pinnacle cultivation method of the Blood-Weeping Pavilion, and I'm only at the Heart Realm right now..."

Zhou Zihan interrupted, "But you also altered the Overlord Spear into the Overlord Sword. As far as I know, the Overlord Spear is no inferior to the Blood Mist Technique."

Feng Qi sighed. "Then why didn't you factor in time?"

Zhou Zihan paused slightly.

Feng Qi explained, "I started practicing the spear at age six, sixteen years ago. I started practicing the sword at age ten, six years ago. As for my understanding of the Blood Mist Technique, it is limited to that single glance just now... Even so, do you really think I possess such incredible ability?"

Zhou Zihan was silent for a moment. "Then if you claim you guessed, what were the odds?"

Feng Qi thought about it and said, "Five."

Zhou Zihan replied, "A fifty percent chance is enough for me to risk it all."

Feng Qi shot her a side-long glance. "I meant... five percent."

Zhou Zihan's gaze turned dangerous, and her usually calm voice shifted slightly. "What did you say?"

Feng Qi said, "The situation back then left no choice but to take a desperate gamble, otherwise it would have been quite troublesome."

Zhou Zihan looked at the corpse Feng Qi was sitting on, clearly unconvinced.

Feng Qi seemed to realize how that looked and laughed awkwardly. "Really! While you were locked in fierce combat with that Blood-Weeping Pavilion disciple, this fellow tried to ambush me. My Qingshuang Sword, fiercely protective of its master, flew out of my spiritual domain on its own and killed him in a single exchange. It even gave me a fright!"

Zhou Zihan looked at him. "You've read plenty of books, so why is the story you made up so terrible?"

Feng Qi paused, feeling somewhat irritated as he spoke, "Is it really that hard for you to believe me just a little?"

This time, Zhou Zihan didn't even look at him; she sheathed her sword and prepared to leave.

Feng Qi called out to her from behind, "Care to go inside together?"

Go inside where?

Naturally, the house within the courtyard.

Screech.

Dust drifted down.

The Carefree Pavilion had always been packed with people; why did this place feel as though no one had visited in ages?

"Don't you know how to knock?" The scribe of the Carefree Pavilion was hunched over his desk, not even raising his head.

Feng Qi asked, "Not doing business? Why close the doors in broad daylight?"

The scribe raised his head and glanced at him. "Because I have no desire to see the two people who just died out there, nor do I wish to see the two of you."

Feng Qi raised an eyebrow and smiled lightly. "That's no way for a businessman to talk. You'll drive away repeat customers."

The scribe snorted. "Cut the crap. What is it you want to ask?"

Feng Qi countered, "What are you willing to tell me?"

The scribe frowned. "That depends on how much money you can put on the table."

Feng Qi said, "Zisang Bumu. How much will that cost?"

The scribe said seriously, "That would require a very substantial sum."

With a flash of light, the Qingshuang Sword appeared on the table.

An immortal-grade flying sword, and a natal weapon at that—it naturally could not serve as a mere bargaining chip for trade.

Therefore, what Feng Qi was truly bringing out was a secret itself.

For the Carefree Pavilion, secrets inherently possessed value. The pavilion had a dedicated "Class-A Alley Department" established specifically to grade secrets, and secrets submitted from various regions went through layers of screening before being escalated.

Generally speaking, third-rank scribes across the various branch pavilions possessed the clearance for Class-A Alley evaluations. Only when they judged a secret to exceed the sixth rank would they report it to the provincial Class-A Alley, and only when a secret surpassed the third rank would it be reported directly to the Carefree Pavilion's headquarters.

Immortal-grade flying swords, Pure Origin Treasures, and Ultimate Sacred Artifacts were the pinnacle supreme treasures of the Dao Abyss Continent, differing only in their names.

As the highest-tier treasures of the Dao Abyss Continent, their numbers were scarce. The existing immortal-grade flying swords numbered no more than four, while Pure Origin Treasures and Ultimate Sacred Artifacts were slightly more numerous, yet still failed to exceed the number of fingers on two hands.

Whenever one of them appeared, it constituted at least a secret above the third rank, though its exact classification ultimately depended on the holder's strength.

Feng Qi could clearly sense a flash of sharp insight sweep across the scribe's eyes.

"To inquire about a Dao Integration realm mighty figure, this is still not enough."

Zhou Zihan frowned, thinking to herself that an immortal-grade flying sword was an unmatched treasure of the world, and prior to this, there had been only four in the entire continent.

Feng Qi didn't seem surprised by the answer. With a wave of his hand, the table was covered in gold, jewels, and even two lower-tier Heaven-grade flying swords. Judging by their value, the items Feng Qi had just produced were nearly equivalent to the tax revenues of an entire province.

The scribe's breathing grew slightly faster. After a long silence, he spoke again, "Still not enough."

Zhou Zihan thought to herself: Could this Carefree Pavilion scribe be looking for trouble?

Feng Qi looked at the scribe calmly and said, "For this price, even asking about the Snow Cloud Sword Pole would yield some answers. Why is Zisang Bumu an exception?"

The scribe was silent for a moment. "I can only tell you that this is still not enough."

Feng Qi asked, "How much more is needed? I can tell you a secret."

The scribe considered this. "That depends on whether your secret is valuable enough."

Feng Qi leaned close to his ear and whispered a single sentence.

The scribe's eyes widened, and he stared at him in disbelief.

Feng Qi softly asked, "How is this secret?"

The scribe demanded, "How do you prove what you said is the truth?"

Feng Qi replied, "Someone in the Carefree Pavilion definitely knows this secret. You only need to report it upward. When the time comes, forget about Bianzhou—transferring you to Wuyang isn't out of the question. You could even shed the identity of a Bianzhou scribe and become a first-rank scribe of the Carefree Pavilion."

The scribe said, "Wait here."

Half an hour later, he returned. "Take your things back. Except for the immortal-grade flying sword; that must remain as one of the primary bargaining chips."

Feng Qi nodded, having anticipated this.

The gold and jewels on the table vanished in an instant, and the Qingshuang Sword was no exception.

At the end of the day, what was being sold was merely a secret.

The scribe weighed his words before speaking. "Zisang Bumu returned to the Moving Flower Palace after the Battle of Dao Abyss, and no news has come out of it since."

The Moving Flower Palace held an immensely strong presence in Northern Yan.

Zisang Bushun from beyond the Shun and Tai passes was a Dao Integration expert, and all the way along his march, he was accompanied by several Void Dao realm palace lords, which was enough to prove how much the Moving Flower Palace valued this matter.

There was no reason for Zisang Bumu not to show up, nor was there any need for him to drag the Moving Flower Palace down just to sell out to Li Jingxing.

What was he plotting?

Everything was tied to the pursuit of interests. In the Battle of Northern Yan, what exactly could the Moving Flower Palace gain?

At the very least, the Blood-Weeping Pavilion required the flesh, blood, and souls of millions of citizens across fifteen cities in western Northern Yan to cultivate their techniques. What about the Moving Flower Palace?

Did they genuinely believe they could overturn the Divine Dynasty?

Or... had something gone wrong with Zisang Bumu himself?

A Dao Saint was powerful, but the Moving Flower Palace Lord was no weakling either.

Since life and death hadn't been decided, what kind of injury could leave him powerless to attend to anything else?

"Is there any other news?" Feng Qi asked with a frown, "Just this?"

"The whereabouts of a Dao Integration realm mighty figure is just 'just this'?" The scribe looked solemn. "The Carefree Pavilion has always conducted business fairly."

Feng Qi asked, "But I want to know more."

The scribe shook his head and replied, "Lord Pomo personally issued the instruction. Regarding this matter, I am only permitted to answer the Young Lord one question today."

Feng Qi raised an arched, sword-like brow.

The scribe remained as steady as an old deity, acting as though he hadn't noticed Feng Qi's sharp gaze.

After a moment, Feng Qi shook his head and asked, "Is there any news of my second brother?"

The scribe let out a sigh of relief and replied, "That piece of news costs two thousand silver notes or one hundred lower-grade spirit crystals."

Without even blinking, Feng Qi tossed out a silver note.

The scribe tucked the silver note into his sleeve and answered, "The Second Young Lord is currently at Mount Taixuan. Ten days ago, his Ten Extreme Meridians flared up, but after preliminary treatment by the Abbot of Dao Ming, his condition has stabilized."

Since he was at Mount Taixuan, nothing should go wrong.

Feng Qi turned and left.

From behind came the scribe's voice, "Let me gift the Young Lord a piece of news: three days ago, during the imperial court assembly, the Divine Emperor bestowed a marriage decree between the Tenth Princess and you."

Feng Qi paused in his tracks.

Zhou Zihan glanced back at the scribe, her gaze as sharp as a blade.

...

...

On the way back to the inn, Zhou Zihan looked at Feng Qi's back, feeling an indescribable emotion in her heart.

"I heard that when you were heading south, you talked with your brother about the marriage contract?"

Feng Qi blinked. "Was this also calculated by Li Jingxing?"

Zhou Zihan replied, "Would the Master care about such trivial matters? It's just that a new disciple recently arrived at Treading Snow Peak—said to be the female protagonist of your previous engagement. These matters came out while she was chatting idly."

Feng Qi rolled his eyes inwardly, thinking that Murong Xue truly had too much time on her hands.

Things of the past—was there any need to bring them up?

"Why do you ask? My engagement with her has already been annulled."

"I know."

"Then why bring it up?"

"I just wanted to say that what you said back then was right."

"What was right?"

"You said back then that you wouldn't marry someone you don't like."

Feng Qi thought to himself that he clearly hadn't phrased it quite like that, but too lazy to argue with Zhou Zihan, he simply gave a lazy acknowledgment.

Zhou Zihan felt a flicker of annoyance in her heart.

After a pause, she asked again, "What was the point of the questions you asked at the Carefree Pavilion?"

Feng Qi thought for a moment and replied, "It has no point for you."

Zhou Zihan felt there was a logical flaw in that statement. "If it has no point for me, could it possibly have a point for you?"

Feng Qi nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "If it had no point, why would I ask?"

Zhou Zihan said, "I don't understand."

Feng Qi said earnestly, "It has no point for you because you are merely the Sword Child of the Thousand Precipices Peak. It has a point for me because, aside from being the Sword Child of the Traceless Peak, I am also the Young Lord of the Northern Yan Prince's Estate."

Zhou Zihan said, "If what you pursue is the Heavenly Dao, I suggest you relinquish your identity as the Young Lord."

Aside from his identity as the Northern Yan Young Lord, she also wanted to advise Feng Qi to let go of the hatred in his heart.

Feng Qi smiled. "After all, it is my responsibility as a son. I might be able to cast aside the identity of a Young Lord, but can I cast aside the identity of a son?"

Zhou Zihan was silent for a while, not knowing what to say.

Feng Qi suddenly said, "The former Emperor carried the entire dynasty on his back and successfully ascended. I believe I can do it too."

Zhou Zihan glanced at Feng Qi, feeling a trace of envy for his ignorance of the immensity of heaven and earth.

Given her temperament, she actually harbored a feeling of envy.

That probably meant she truly felt it was quite admirable.

As if remembering something, Feng Qi let out an "ah."

Zhou Zihan asked, "What is it?"

Feng Qi scratched his head and said apologetically, "I think we need to change our route."

Zhou Zihan paused. "Aren't we going to the Moving Flower Palace?"

Feng Qi said sincerely, "Why go to the Moving Flower Palace?"

Zhou Zihan asked, "If you aren't going to the Moving Flower Palace, why did you ask about Zisang Bumu's whereabouts?"

Feng Qi raised an eyebrow. "Is there some inevitable connection between the two?"

Zhou Zihan thought about it and realized there truly was no inevitable connection between them, so she asked, "Then why go to Wuyang?"

This time, Feng Qi didn't retort with a question, merely replying, "To take you to see the稷 Palace (Ji Palace)."

...

...