Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Win or Lose, It’s All Business

Under the pressure of a late Essence Condensation expert, no one dared to move—no one could.

At that level, cultivators could ride clouds and command mist. Such a figure rarely stepped onto a ship at all, so the crowd was shaken, whispering in fear and confusion.

Fang Xun Zuo, however, remained calm. He flicked a glance at Zhao Zhan Qian’s pale face and led his three sworn brothers toward the upper cabins without haste.

Once the main players left, the spectacle began to dissolve. The remaining cultivators traded hushed speculation, pointing and murmuring, but Zhao Chun had no interest in staying.

She cupped her hands once toward Fan Shu Ping, who stood frowning in thought, then turned back toward her cabin.

She had barely stepped into the corridor when Meng Han’s door opened. His expression was grim.

They met head-on. Seeing Zhao Chun unharmed, he loosened slightly and asked, “That Essence Condensation expert released pressure just now. Do you know why?”

Zhao Chun nodded and guided him into her room. “I do know something. And the hallway isn’t the place to talk.”

The ship carried plenty of Foundation Establishment cultivators. News of the Purple Luo Jade Branch would spread soon enough, and once it did, all manner of people would start moving. Zhao Chun and Meng Han had no intention of fighting over it. Watching from the sidelines would be more than enough.

Even with a soundproofing array already in the room, Meng Han still cast a few more techniques, cautious to the bone.

Zhao Chun summarized the argument quickly and went straight to the core—Fang Xun Zuo’s jade box, and the deep-purple flower branch inside.

Meng Han’s eyes snapped up. “That thing…!”

He’d spent years traveling and had seen more treasures than most. His memory was sharp. The moment he heard the description, he knew what it was.

When Zhao Chun confirmed it, his breath roughened. “Too bad our cultivation is too low. A treasure like that isn’t something we can touch. We can only watch others take it.”

Zhao Chun’s voice stayed steady. “Taking a treasure is one thing. Keeping it is another. We’re still far from the Profound Division Stage. When we reach it, there may be better opportunities waiting.”

“Junior Sister, you really can swallow your desire,” Meng Han said, half impressed. His greed flared for a heartbeat, then he forced it down and laughed. “We can’t use it, but the sect can. If we could offer it to the sect… the Myriad Vault Tower’s tens of thousands of texts would be open to us. We’d have access to resources most disciples could only dream of.”

Zhao Chun blinked. “Someone in the sect is close to the Profound Division Stage?”

“It’s Elder Li Shu,” Meng Han said at once. “You were buried in the Threefold Stone Forest, so you probably didn’t hear. After he broke through, he took charge of this year’s Hundred Sects Assembly. Your third senior brother, Du Fan Zhi, is acting as his deputy. He’s been riding high—hosting banquets and inviting Inner Sect disciples constantly. Senior Brother Xu and I have been suffering for it. No peace at all.”

He leaned in, lowering his voice. “Don’t repeat that part, Junior Sister. Senior Brother Xu and I can’t afford to offend them.”

“Of course,” Zhao Chun said.

Then she frowned slightly. “Those four were willing to reveal the Purple Luo Jade Branch in public. They must have been after something. That expert who intervened—was that their target?”

Meng Han hesitated. “I don’t know who he is. But you’re right—those four are only mid Qi Refining. They know they can’t keep an extraordinary treasure. It makes sense they’d offer it up for profit and protection, just like we would.”

Which meant the Fen Yu Sect disciples had been dragged into the mess for nothing—used as a convenient prop.

In the ship’s lower cabins, the Fen Yu Sect disciples huddled together, still unaware they’d been manipulated from the start. Their panic centered on one thing.

“What do we do?” one disciple said, voice shaking. “The Water-Jade Thousand Mountains Treasure Vase was lent by an elder. We have to return it when we go back. If it’s lost, we’ll be punished severely…”

Just thinking of the sect’s punishment methods turned his face white.

Zhao Zhan Qian glared at him, far less afraid.

The elder who had lent the treasure vase was her mother. Cultivators rarely bore children, and her parents doted on her excessively. Even if she returned empty-handed, she might escape harsh consequences. The others had no such shield.

Fan Shu Ping exhaled and said, “The treasure vase was mine to use. You were only traveling with me and didn’t deserve to be caught in this. I, Fan Shu Ping, will bear the responsibility. None of you will take the blame.”

The group looked moved, praising him for his righteousness. Zhao Zhan Qian, however, bit her lip and asked, “Then… are we still going to the ruins?”

Silence followed.

They had set out for the old sect ruins too, fully aware their cultivation was low. Their plan was only to explore the outer layers. With an elder’s treasure vase protecting them, they’d dared to travel at all.

Now the protection was gone. After Zhao Zhan Qian’s question, hesitation spread like a stain.

Fan Shu Ping finally said, “We’re almost at Fang Jing Mountain. Turning back now would be a waste. We’ll follow the plan, but only stay on the outer layers. If anything changes, we leave immediately. I still have a few thunder-strike talismans. If we meet enemies, they’ll buy us time.”

He carried authority among them. After a few uneasy looks, the others nodded and agreed to continue.

Fan Shu Ping was weighed down with worry.

Fang Xun Zuo, on the other hand, was delighted.

The chaos on deck had been his plan from the beginning. He’d staged the farce to present a treasure and secure a stable path for his brothers.

The Purple Luo Jade Branch was something the four had found in Fu Qing La Ke. It was also the reason they’d managed to cultivate smoothly into mid Qi Refining. Later, they killed a sect cultivator and found a volume called Hundred Views of Spirit Herbs on his body—only then did they learn how precious the spirit object truly was.

The joy of discovery didn’t last long. Once they understood its value, fear followed. If anyone learned what they carried, it would bring slaughter.

Then, about a month ago, they caught wind of a rumor: Chi Song, an enshrined elder of a rogue cultivator city, was returning from the Southern Domain to the Eastern Domain.

That was when Fang Xun Zuo made his decision.

Chi Song was late Essence Condensation, but his lifespan was nearly exhausted. He’d searched everywhere for treasures and found nothing. This trip to the Southern Domain had been to compete for a life-extending object—only to lose to an elder of the Lian Yin Sect. Wounded and humiliated, he boarded a ship to flee back to the Eastern Domain.

Fang Xun Zuo seized the chance.

What life-extending treasure could compare to the Purple Luo Jade Branch? Chi Song believed fate itself had chosen him. Just when he thought everything was lost, an opportunity had appeared at his feet.

Fang Xun Zuo bowed, presented the jade box, and had an attendant deliver it into Chi Song’s hands.

Chi Song opened it. He already knew what the Purple Luo Jade Branch looked like, and he could judge its authenticity—but when the treasure truly lay before him, it still stirred his Dao heart.

He’d been trapped at this bottleneck for nearly a hundred years. At last, a chance had appeared—one that might let him taste the power of the Profound Division Stage.

“This is rarer than rare,” Chi Song said, voice heavy with satisfaction. “For you to offer such a treasure, you deserve a great reward.”

He also understood that Fang Xun Zuo’s group had not done this out of pure devotion. They wanted something. And Chi Song, basking in triumph, had no intention of being stingy with what he could give.

Fang Xun Zuo didn’t dare ask for too much. A backer like Chi Song mattered more than any immediate gain. He led his brothers to kneel.

“We have long heard of your great name, Senior,” he said. “If we could enter your tutelage, it would end our days of wandering in storm and dust. We would be grateful beyond words.”

Chi Song hesitated—only for a breath. Their talent was ordinary, and he had his pride. But with the Purple Luo Jade Branch in his possession, refusing them outright felt petty.

He sighed as if bestowing mercy. “Your sincerity is acceptable. I also pity that you’ve drifted for so long. Cultivation is not easy. Very well—I will accept you four as formal disciples. Come cultivate under me.”

True sincerity was rare, and true mercy rarer still. Both sides understood the transaction. But Fang Xun Zuo and his brothers played their part perfectly, eyes reddening as they bowed again and again, voices thick as they cried, “Master!”

Formal disciples were beneath personal disciples, yet far more legitimate than registered disciples. The four did not dare dream of becoming Chi Song’s personal disciples. A master who stood on the edge of the Profound Division Stage was already more than they’d ever hoped for.

Both sides got what they wanted.

And both sides were pleased.