"That Shang Ziliang is the son of Peak Master Shang from Cloud Distant Peak." After leaving the Sword Transmission Hall, Xu Ziqing muttered to Chu Liang, "He always throws his weight around because his father is a peak master, acting like he's something incredible. I've never liked him. And he's always trying to hover around me. He's so annoying."
So that was it.
Cloud Distant Peak's master, Shang Shuwen, was a Confucian cultivator of Shushan, a man once inscribed upon the rolls of Jiangnan's Hall of Gentlemen. His reputation had spread throughout the martial world... But his son certainly did not look the part.
As he was thinking, he saw a streak of fire fall from the southeast like a meteor, descending toward Silver Sword Peak.
Chu Liang's eyes immediately lit up.
"Junior Sister Ziqing, it should be my master returning. I'll go back and welcome her first," Chu Liang said.
"Oh..." The young girl nodded, then watched Chu Liang's departing figure.
Her gaze lingered, reluctant to part.
Flying back to Silver Sword Peak on his sword, he indeed found Empress Feng seated boldly in the peak master's pavilion. She wore a black robe with red lapels, and her chest trembled slightly as though she were angry.
So angry that the Phoenix Blood Jade flickered in and out of sight.
"Master." Chu Liang stepped forward and said, "Your disciple learned of your return and came especially to welcome you."
"Mm. Nothing happened these past two days, right?" Empress Feng asked.
"Nothing. Your disciple went on another mission, and it went fairly smoothly." Chu Liang nodded, then asked, "And Master? Did your trip go smoothly?"
"Don't mention it." At the mention of it, Empress Feng immediately glared, her brows raised in fury. "I was searching the Eastern Sea for demons causing trouble, and those people from the Penglai Supreme Sect just had to come out and say I was destroying the Eastern Sea's ecology! They insisted on driving me away! If I hadn't been thinking of the entire Shushan Sect, I would've fought them!"
"..." Chu Liang fell silent for a moment.
His master's actions truly were exactly as he had predicted.
Though she had casually said she was looking for demons, he could imagine that her actions had definitely not been so peaceful.
When demons were causing trouble, Empress Feng could help clear away the danger; when demons were not causing trouble, Empress Feng herself was the danger.
She had probably churned the rivers and seas until the Eastern Sea was thrown into unrest, attracting the attention of Penglai's people and forcing them to stop her.
The Penglai Supreme Sect was also one of the Nine Heavens immortal sects. Their territory lay in that stretch of the Eastern Sea, so naturally they would not permit her to wreak havoc on their doorstep.
Their actions were perfectly reasonable.
Thinking this, he said aloud, "The people from the Penglai Supreme Sect were far too rude!"
"Exactly!" Empress Feng nodded indignantly.
As she spoke, she seemed to sense something was off. Raising a brow, she shot Chu Liang a sidelong glance. "Why are you being so obedient today, kid? You came to greet me the moment I returned? Do you need something from me?"
"Isn't it only proper for a disciple to welcome his master?" Chu Liang smiled. "It's just that... your disciple also happens to have something he wishes to discuss with Master."
"Tch." Empress Feng sneered. "Go on, then."
"This time, your disciple's mission happened to be carried out alongside people from Jade Sword Peak. Among them was a disciple at the early Golden Core Realm whose cultivation far surpassed mine. The flying sword and divine abilities he used were both extraordinarily powerful. Yet he was not even one of Jade Sword Peak's main forces. Your disciple is somewhat worried... When the Shushan Summit arrives, how will I compete with them?" Chu Liang said.
"You still have time to grow stronger. Believe in yourself." Empress Feng said carelessly.
Picking up her words, Chu Liang continued, "So your disciple has been considering how to strengthen himself. Aside from cultivating diligently and improving my cultivation, I feel that I possess too few divine abilities and spells. Therefore, I wish to ask Master to teach me some more powerful divine abilities."
"Divine abilities?" Empress Feng paused. "What divine abilities do I have to teach you?"
She was telling the truth.
Back when Shushan's sect leader had refused to let her take disciples, aside from her unruly temperament, the greater reason was that she was a body cultivator.
Unlike martial cultivators, body cultivators used Daoist arts to refine the flesh. They did not cultivate martial arts, only forged an incomparably powerful body.
Empress Feng possessed the Scarlet Flame Divine Phoenix Body. She pursued the Dao through body cultivation, and there was no questioning her terrifying might.
But body cultivation was exceedingly rare, requiring many coincidences and opportunities to achieve. What she cultivated simply could not be passed on to disciples.
However.
Aside from inheriting them from their masters, Shushan disciples could also obtain divine abilities from the Hall of Guardians. If they wished to learn abilities their masters had not even mastered, they only needed to purchase them directly from the Hall of Guardians.
Chu Liang smiled faintly at that. "That is why your disciple wishes to purchase some from the Hall of Guardians."
Empress Feng narrowed her eyes, as if she had caught the scent of danger. "Then go buy them."
"Isn't your disciple... a little short on funds..." Chu Liang said softly.
"Heh." Empress Feng gave a cold laugh. "So the map is exhausted and the dagger finally appears... After beating around the bush for so long, you just wanted to ask me for money, didn't you?"
"This is all for Master's grand ambition." Chu Liang said earnestly.
Always putting the art of language into practice.
"Mm..." Empress Feng propped up her chin. Her sleeve slipped halfway down, revealing a fair stretch of wrist. "If you need divine abilities or magical artifacts, your master can think of a way... But if you want money, I truly don't have any."
"Master's monthly stipend at Shushan isn't low, is it? And isn't there extra funding for peak masters..." Chu Liang asked cautiously.
In truth, he had always found it strange. Their Silver Sword Peak had always seemed poor, but he had grown accustomed to it since childhood and never thought much of it.
But after growing up and seeing how wealthy the other peaks were, he could not help finding it odd. Especially since Silver Sword Peak only had him as its sole disciple, so there was no question of resources being divided among many people.
Even if his master gave him a little pocket money each month, he should have saved enough to buy a flying sword by now.
"Sigh." Empress Feng sighed. "What can that little money even do... Your master is not only penniless now, I also owe a huge amount in outside debts."
"Why?" Chu Liang asked in confusion.
Empress Feng patted the wine gourd at her waist. "Do you think wine capable of getting someone at my cultivation drunk is so easy to buy? This Drunken Immortal Brew costs five hundred Sword Coins per gourd."
"Ah?"
The wine he had watched Empress Feng drink ever since he was little cost the price of a flying sword per gourd?
He was stunned.
This was not alcoholism. This was burning money.
"I'm telling you the truth. In short, your master has nothing but debts now. Over these years of roaming the world, aside from this Phoenix Blood Jade, I've never owned a single magical treasure or weapon. I rely entirely on my body." Empress Feng spread her hands, wearing the air of a dead pig unafraid of boiling water. "Even if you desperately need money, your master has nothing to sell. If I truly had to sell something, I could only sell this body."
Chu Liang's brows twitched. "Would that be convenient?"
"Get lost."
Chu Liang returned dejectedly to his little wooden cabin. His plan to ask for money had failed miserably, and he had learned the terrible news that Empress Feng had no intention of quitting drinking for the next hundred years.
It seemed he could only rely on himself from now on.
If he wanted flying swords, magical artifacts, pills, betrothal gifts, or talismans, he would have to save up for them himself...
Or simply buy nothing and wait for demons to drop them.
Just as he rounded the hillside, he unexpectedly saw a familiar figure.
With thick brows and large eyes, dressed in brocade robes and radiating vigor, it was none other than Lin Bei, the disciple from Jade Sword Peak.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
The moment Lin Bei saw Chu Liang, he broke into another hearty laugh and called out, "Brother Chu, you're finally back."
"Brother Lin, why are you waiting for me here? Is something the matter?" Chu Liang asked.
"Of course." Lin Bei's face was piled with smiles. "I now know of a highly rewarding mission that requires two Divine Intent Realm disciples with exceptional cultivation, quick wits, and handsome, dashing looks to complete together. Thinking through all of Shushan, none but you and I are worthy!"
Ignoring his flattery, Chu Liang asked, "Where are we going?"
"Yanjiao City, Nanshan Academy."
Before you continue