True Person Taiyi

The sky.

Grand Tutor Wen Zhong was talking with a white-bearded old man.

Di Xin's guess had been right. The newcomer, the white-bearded old man, was none other than True Person Taiyi, a disciple of the Primordial Lord of Heaven.

"Your disciple Wen Zhong pays his respects to Martial Uncle Taiyi!"

Wen Zhong had once met True Person Taiyi while accompanying his master, Golden Spirit Mother, and recognized him.

Though he and Zhao Gongming had cast aside the order of their sect and treated each other as equals, and Zhao Gongming was of the same generation as True Person Taiyi, the closeness of their relationships was another matter.

The Chan Sect and the Interception Sect shared the same origins. By seniority, Wen Zhong really should address True Person Taiyi as Martial Uncle.

True Person Taiyi glanced at Wen Zhong and gave a slight nod, answering with a quiet "Hm."

That was a rather unfriendly attitude!

Even between fellow disciples who weren't especially close, surely there was no need to be so aloof, even if they were of different generations!

Wen Zhong's thoughts raced, and he felt he'd found the reason.

His voice was no longer as warm as before. He gave a formal salute and said, "Martial Uncle Taiyi, Yang Jian, a disciple of Martial Uncle Yu Ding, transformed into the Sky-Howling Dog and trespassed into the forbidden palace, intending to harm the Great King. I only intervened to protect the Great King. As it happened, Yang Jian was indeed in the wrong."

Yang Jian's master, True Man Yu Ding, and True Person Taiyi were both disciples of the Primordial Lord of Heaven, making them fellow disciples.

Wen Zhong's relationship with True Person Taiyi was nowhere near as close as Yang Jian's. He assumed that True Person Taiyi had reacted so coldly because of what had happened to Yang Jian.

True Person Taiyi raised his long white eyebrows slightly. "Your affairs have nothing to do with me, and I have no desire to interfere. I came to Chaoge because my Universe Ring was stolen. Through my Divine Sense, I sensed that the treasure had fallen within Chaoge. Wen Zhong, as Grand Tutor of Yin Shang, you should give me an explanation, shouldn't you?"

"What? Martial Uncle, your Universe Ring was stolen too?"

Wen Zhong gaped in shock.

"What do you mean by 'too'?" True Person Taiyi keenly picked up on the implication in Wen Zhong's words and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Chaoge had somehow become the target of everyone's suspicion. Wen Zhong could only smile bitterly. "To be frank, I heard that before today, Yang Jian's Sky-Howling Dog, Zhao Gongming's Dragon Binding Rope, Lady Yunxiao's Golden Flood Dragon Scissors, and Lady Bixiao's Primordial Gold Dou had all gone missing. Their senses also indicated that the treasures had fallen within Chaoge. That's why I hurried back from the North Sea today to investigate the truth. Otherwise, Chaoge would be thrown into chaos. How can you ask me for an explanation, Martial Uncle?"

"Such a thing happened?" True Person Taiyi was greatly surprised.

Wen Zhong smiled bitterly again. "Martial Uncle Taiyi, that's not all. The two disciples of Nuwa Palace, the Nine Heavens Profound Maiden and the Nine Nether Pure Maiden, are also in Chaoge. I heard the Monster Race has lost a treasure as well."

True Person Taiyi nodded slightly. Wen Zhong couldn't possibly be lying about this, since it would be easy to verify.

He released his Divine Sense and took a brief look around, then nodded again. "So it's true. Have our fellow cultivators uncovered any clues?"

"Come with me to Chaoge Mountain. This isn't the place to talk." A glint flashed in True Person Taiyi's eyes as he made the suggestion.

"What about Yang Jian?"

Wen Zhong hesitated.

True Person Taiyi looked toward a spot in the city, then said, "You needn't worry. I'll call Yang Jian along. While you're away from the Royal Palace, I guarantee nothing will happen here."

"Thank you, Martial Uncle!"

Since True Person Taiyi had said so, Wen Zhong immediately felt reassured. True Person Taiyi was renowned among the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect, and his guarantee could certainly be trusted.

He flew west with True Person Taiyi. Glancing toward the spot True Person Taiyi had just looked at, he saw Yang Jian, now transformed into a young scholar, following after them.

A few breaths later, the three of them reached the depths of Chaoge Mountain.

From different directions across Chaoge, several streaks of light flew toward them in turn.

The streaks descended and converged. Everyone revealed their forms.

Zhao Gongming, the Three Ladies of the Auspicious Clouds, the Nine Heavens Profound Maiden, the Nine Nether Pure Maiden, and the others had all gathered there.

After exchanging greetings, Zhao Gongming asked first, "Martial Brother Taiyi, what brings you to Chaoge, and why have you summoned us all here?"

By this time, the conflict between the Interception Sect and the Chan Sect had yet to become overt, but the two sides rarely interacted, and their relationship could hardly be called close.

True Person Taiyi didn't conceal the truth. "My Universe Ring was stolen and ended up in Chaoge. I heard several fellow cultivators had suffered the same fate, so I invited you here to discuss where the treasures might have gone."

"Ah, Martial Brother Taiyi's Universe Ring was stolen in Chaoge too?"

Zhao Gongming looked astonished, but inwardly, he felt some relief. It seemed the second-generation disciples of the Chan Sect had their share of shameful mishaps too, not just those of the Interception Sect.

Otherwise, if Yang Jian spread the story later, it would be utterly humiliating.

True Person Taiyi's expression darkened slightly. He nodded faintly. "Have any of you found anything?"

Zhao Gongming and the Three Ladies of the Auspicious Clouds exchanged glances. Lady Yunxiao spoke first. "We have found nothing so far. At first, we couldn't be sure whether the thief was still in Chaoge or had already left after stealing the treasures. But based on the circumstances of Martial Brother Taiyi's loss, the thief is still in Chaoge."

True Person Taiyi furrowed his long white eyebrows. "Even if you can't find the culprit, surely you could at least narrow down the list of suspects?"

His tone was rather unpleasant, clearly suggesting that everyone present was useless.

Lady Qiongxiao had a short temper. She immediately retorted, "Of course we've narrowed it down. Everyone here except you and Fellow Daoist Wen Zhong is a suspect. But without evidence, can you accuse people at random?"

True Person Taiyi glanced at the already angered Yang Jian and gave a cold snort. "Nonsense. Everyone here is a victim. What reason is there to suspect them? Yang Jian isn't capable of stealing your treasures without anyone noticing."

"Martial Uncle, please hear me out. I'll explain the details."

Lady Qiongxiao had clearly been targeting him just now. Though Yang Jian was displeased, he didn't dare to make a scene. After all, the Interception Sect was the strongest group here, and Lady Qiongxiao's attitude toward True Person Taiyi had already changed.

She no longer called him Martial Brother, but addressed him simply as True Person.

He feared that if they kept clashing, things would turn even more unpleasant.

True Person Taiyi also realized that his tone had been inappropriate. He silently nodded.

Yang Jian then recounted the circumstances in detail: how he had lost the Sky-Howling Dog, sensed that it was in Chaoge, used its blood essence to search for it, and encountered the Nine Heavens Profound Maiden and the Nine Nether Pure Maiden.

He held nothing back, explaining everything up to Zhao Gongming and the Three Ladies of the Auspicious Clouds arriving, the subsequent loss of more treasures, his later investigation, and even his two attempts to test King Zhou.