"You said you caught a Demon Wolf?" Along the way, Zhong Shan chatted with Zhao Suo Xiang, and suddenly brought up what Zhao Suo Xiang had mentioned earlier.
"Yes, a young wolf. But its fur was exceptionally pure. At night, its fur even emitted a faint silver glow all over." Zhao Suo Xiang answered directly.
"Oh?" Zhong Shan furrowed his brow.
"A glowing Demon Wolf?" Tian Ling'er immediately came over, curious.
"Mhm. This Demon Wolf's breed is definitely extraordinary, and it certainly belongs to a high-grade Demon Wolf species. With such a high-grade breed, the blood in its body—or the Inner Core it might produce in the future—could be far from ordinary." Zhao Suo Xiang frowned.
"That's right. Last time, Sister Qing Si caught a Fire Fox and used the blood drawn from it to refine a Third Grade Pill." Tian Ling'er explained it to Zhong Shan.
"Then congratulations are in order," Zhong Shan said with a smile.
"Alas, it's a pity I wasn't the only one who discovered it. Four others discovered it together with me. Tang Xiao You was one of them, so the final outcome for this Demon Wolf is still unknown." Zhao Suo Xiang shook his head.
"Oh? You discovered it together?" Zhong Shan frowned.
"Yes. That day, we happened to meet by chance in a gorge and saw it beside a Small Lake. Naturally, it counted as a joint discovery by the five of us. As for how to divide it, we have to wait until we find the seniors from our two sects. They'll determine the Demon Wolf's value, and then we'll decide whether to exchange it for items or directly divide up its body." Zhao Suo Xiang explained.
After hearing Zhao Suo Xiang's explanation, Zhong Shan could also guess how valuable this Demon Wolf was. According to Zhao Suo Xiang, it was worth at least a Third Grade Pill—or perhaps even more, a Fourth Grade Pill? Naturally, no one was willing to hastily determine its value.
"Where is the Demon Wolf?" Zhong Shan asked.
"It's in one of the Tang Family's estates here. It's also where I'm staying at the moment," Zhao Suo Xiang replied.
"The Tang Family? One of the three thousand-year Aristocratic Clans of Great Song—in other words, that was Tang Xiao You's territory?" Zhong Shan frowned.
"That's right. The Tang Family's influence here is enormous. Although my Zhao Family isn't a thousand-year Aristocratic Clan, we still possess considerable secular power here. The place was provided by the Tang Family, but both my Zhao Family and the Tang Family have sent people to guard it. Nothing will happen." Zhao Suo Xiang explained.
"Didn't you say four people saw it? One was Tang Xiao You. Were the other three from your Iron Spear Sect?" Zhong Shan asked.
"The other three were all Tang Xiao You's senior and junior fellow disciples—people from the Bright Sword Pavilion," Zhao Suo Xiang replied.
"Oh?" Zhong Shan narrowed his eyes. It seemed that Zhao Suo Xiang was at a disadvantage.
As if seeing what Zhong Shan was worried about, Zhao Suo Xiang said, "Of the four people from the Bright Sword Pavilion, only two entered the Immortal Sect at the same time as me, fifty-one years ago. Tang Xiao You and the other person entered only a year ago. They're nothing to worry about."
"Mhm." Zhong Shan nodded.
Before long, they arrived at a large residence. This was the estate Zhao Suo Xiang had mentioned.
Several martial artist guards stood at the entrance. As Zhong Shan followed Zhao Suo Xiang inside, he discovered that there were even archers stationed in concealed locations throughout the estate, taking turns standing guard. Truly, it was a great Aristocratic Clan—every detail had been considered.
Slowly, the three of them passed through several corridors and arrived at an inner courtyard.
At the very center of the courtyard stood a large platform. On it was an enormous glass case, inside which lay a silver-white wolf cub about a foot long.
The wolf cub was pure white from head to toe, its fur incomparably fine. Yet it seemed to have no strength at all and lay limply inside. Its eyes revealed intense fear, and its body trembled faintly, as if it knew that its future would be filled with endless hardship.
"This is that high-grade Demon Wolf. Without even cultivating, it possesses a bloodline superior to that of ordinary Demon Wolves. If it cultivates, it will surely achieve twice the result with half the effort. We gave it Tendon Softening Powder, so it can no longer escape." Zhao Suo Xiang pointed at the wolf cub.
Tian Ling'er immediately went over to look.
"Why keep it here?" Zhong Shan asked, looking at the wolf cub in the glass case with a frown.
"There are guards from both our families all around. It makes it easier to watch over," Zhao Suo Xiang explained.
After hearing Zhao Suo Xiang, Zhong Shan understood the reason. This not only guarded against outside thieves, but also kept watch on the other four people from the Bright Sword Pavilion.
"This little wolf is so pitiful. It's still so tiny. If I had been the one to find it back then, I never would have captured it to refine pills." Tian Ling'er immediately spoke up sympathetically.
"Oh? Then how do you plan to deal with it?" Zhong Shan came over with a smile.
"Of course I'll release it. It's so small!" Tian Ling'er said earnestly.
Just as Tian Ling'er finished speaking, a mocking voice suddenly came from a room not far away.
"Release it? A Fourth Grade Pill, and you want to release it?"
Following the voice, two people slowly walked out of a room nearby.
Both were sword-bearing men like Tang Xiao You. After coming out, they headed toward Zhong Shan.
"Brother Wang." Zhao Suo Xiang addressed the person in front. Clearly, this was the person who had entered the Immortal Sect fifty-one years ago. His strength should not be much different from Zhao Suo Xiang's.
Zhao Suo Xiang paid no attention to the other man, but Zhong Shan fixed his gaze on the second person.
When he saw that man, Zhong Shan's eyes widened, and a fierce blaze of fury flashed through them. He then drew a deep breath before suppressing his anger, at least keeping it from showing on his face.
Zhong Di. That unfilial son, Zhong Di. Zhong Shan's adopted son. At the Dragon Gate Meet, Zhong Shan had taken him there, where he had been chosen by the Immortal Sect. Yet in the end, he had turned his back on Zhong Shan and acted as though he did not know him. When Zhong Shan's first adopted son, Zhong Tian, had angrily berated him, Zhong Di had even incited his master to issue Zhong Tian a warning.
The Bright Sword Pavilion. So Zhong Di had been chosen by the Bright Sword Pavilion.
Looking at Zhong Di, Zhong Shan forcibly held back his rage and gave a faint, cold laugh.
When Zhong Di approached and saw Zhong Shan, he suddenly froze. Zhong Shan now looked to be in his thirties, and when he had adopted Zhong Di back then, he had looked exactly as he did now. Thus, Zhong Di recognized him at a glance. But no matter what, Zhong Di refused to believe that this was his former adoptive father, Zhong Shan.
"Zhong Di?" Zhong Shan gave a cold laugh.
When Zhong Shan called his name, it was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over Zhong Di from head to toe. It was him. It was his adoptive father. It was Zhong Shan. How could this be? How had he become so young? Had he also joined the Immortal Sect? Had he also joined the Immortal Sect?
Cold sweat poured down Zhong Di's forehead, but he immediately called out, "F-F-Father Zhong Shan."
He still could not bring himself to say "adoptive father," and instead called Zhong Shan by name. Afterward, Zhong Di's nervousness seemed to ease considerably. That's right. What am I afraid of? I'm also a cultivator, and my aptitude is this good.
"He's also surnamed Zhong, and he knows you? Is he a friend?" Tian Ling'er immediately asked curiously.
Zhao Suo Xiang and the other man also noticed that something was unusual between Zhong Shan and Zhong Di, and looked at the two of them with puzzled gazes.
"We know each other, but we're not friends," Zhong Shan told Tian Ling'er.
"Oh." Tian Ling'er nodded at once and did not ask further. They aren't friends. Could they be enemies? Although Tian Ling'er was usually guileless, she knew that this was not the time to ask.
"Brother Wang, are you heading out?" Zhao Suo Xiang asked.
"That's right." The man addressed as Brother Wang nodded.
"But the sky is gloomy. It looks like it's going to rain," Zhao Suo Xiang said with a frown.
"BOOM!"
As if answering Zhao Suo Xiang's words, a thunderclap suddenly exploded across the sky. In an instant, heavy rain came pouring down.
After walking beneath the eaves, the man said, "Mhm. Thank you for your concern, Brother Zhao. We have important matters to attend to. With Senior Brother here, everything will be fine."
"Zhong Di, let's go." After saying this, the man took Zhong Di and hurried away along the corridor.
Watching the two leave, Zhong Shan furrowed his brows and took a deep breath, temporarily setting aside his resentment toward Zhong Di.
"He's Wang Gui, the Bright Sword Pavilion's Second Senior Brother of the third generation. Come, don't bother with him. I'll take you to find somewhere to stay." Zhao Suo Xiang spoke.
"Mhm." Zhong Shan nodded as he watched the place where the two had disappeared.
Afterward, under Zhao Suo Xiang's guidance, everyone arrived at another small courtyard.
Zhong Shan temporarily stayed there. It was still afternoon, and with nothing else to do, he accompanied Zhao Suo Xiang in playing a game of go and chatted with him for some time. As for Tian Ling'er, she either watched the two play or took out the die from earlier and tossed it around for fun.
That evening, after dinner, Zhao Suo Xiang also left the small courtyard.
Zhao Suo Xiang's residence was the courtyard where the wolf cub was kept.
In the courtyard, the white wolf cub trembled helplessly. From the day it had been captured, the white wolf cub had lived in constant fear.
Every day, these humans would force several servings of rice porridge down its throat to keep it from dying. Then they would pour some white powder into it, making it unable to move. Was this—was this what Grandpa had called bad people?
Bad people, bad people?
The white wolf cub curled up inside the glass enclosure, watching the rainwater continuously strike the glass in the pitch-black night. Its eyes were filled with fear, and its entire body trembled. Am I going to die? Grandpa, Grandpa, where are you? I'll never run off again. Come save Xianxian. Xianxian is going to die!
P.S. Please vote for me. Is there more?
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