Guarding Against a Traitor, Insights into the Golden Core

Xuan Tong was pleasantly surprised, while Xuan Yu was taken aback.

Xuan Yang grinned.

The Former Abbot's life was recorded in detail in the Truth-Seeking Abbey's archives. After losing both parents, he had lived with other relatives, only to become separated from them during a year of famine. The founding master had rescued him, and only then had he entered the abbey.

That Senior Brother Xuanming had a great-uncle who had become a Golden Core True Person was unexpected, but perfectly plausible.

Everyone had their own fate and opportunities.

Perhaps this great-uncle had once encountered a tremendous stroke of fortune, then visited Floating Cloud Mountain to seek his relatives after achieving success in cultivation.

The history of the Daoist Tradition was full of such tales.

"No wonder you've advanced so swiftly, Senior Brother. So you had a senior helping you. Since you have things well in hand, I can rest easy."

"Senior Brother Xuanxu is still waiting for my reply. I'll set off now and return to Fengyang Commandery."

Always in a hurry, Xuan Yang rose to leave, but Xuanming pressed a hand against his shoulder. "You've spent half the day traveling, Junior Brother. You should get some proper rest. Tomorrow is soon enough to leave."

Xuan Yang accepted his advice and sat back down. Xuanming withdrew his hand and, after some thought, said, "Only Junior Brothers Xuan Tong and Xuan Yu were present when I fought young friend Chu. Since he descended the mountain, no outsider has seen me."

"News that I've become a True Person should not have spread yet. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many challengers in the essence refining realm."

"Young friend Chu wouldn't publicize the outcome of our fight. To avoid further assassination attempts by the Draped Robe Tower, he would probably stay home. If so, the problem most likely lies within our Truth-Seeking Abbey."

"Of course, I could be mistaken."

"Sorry for the trouble, Junior Brother Xuan Yu, but please accompany Junior Brother Xuan Yang to Fengyang Commandery tomorrow. Visit Chu and get to the bottom of this."

Xuan Tong immediately understood, his expression darkening.

Xuan Yu looked equally grave, while Xuan Yang slammed the table in fury.

They had all heard the implication in his words.

Either their senior brother was mistaken and the news had leaked from the Chu clan, or there was a traitor in the Truth-Seeking Abbey.

The outcome of the fight could be inferred from their senior brother's condition.

If he was in good shape, he had won.

If he was in poor shape, he had lost or fought to a draw.

Of course, these were all conjectures. They would only know which was true after questioning Chu.

Still, they needed to make the necessary preparations.

Seeing their senior brother bury himself in his scriptures again,

Xuan Yang, Xuan Tong, and Xuan Yu left one after another.

The three briefly caught up before going their separate ways.

Xuan Yang went to find Deer, afraid she might forget her master.

Xuan Tong and Xuan Yu went to deal with the matter of the traitor.

Anyone who had visited Dao-Treasuring Peak over the past two days was a suspect and needed to be investigated discreetly.

After sitting by the window and reading Daoist texts for two hours, Xuanming gazed out at the verdant mountains, his thoughts stirring.

The great-uncle was, naturally, his own fabrication.

As far as others knew, he possessed only a superior Dao Foundation. After becoming a True Person of the greater Heavenly Circuit realm, his strength would be equivalent to that of a True Person of the Primordial Heaven Realm.

To withstand the pressure from a Golden Core True Person without exposing his Primordial Unity Dao Foundation, he needed to invent someone.

That way, many matters he could not conveniently handle himself could be resolved through this great-uncle.

An ordinary man was innocent; possessing a precious jade made him guilty.

Although he had deceived his junior brothers, a Primordial Unity Dao Foundation was far too world-shaking. Until he possessed absolute strength, he could only wrong them for the time being. Nor did he wish to use this to test human nature.

Early the next morning, Xuan Yang and Xuan Yu descended the mountain.

Before they left, Xuanming told Xuan Yang that he could inform Xuan Yin and Xuan Su of his ascension to True Person.

As for Xuan Kong, that could wait.

He had only his loose tongue to blame.

Morning clouds meant staying home; evening clouds meant traveling a thousand miles.

Toward evening, Xuan Yu returned and headed straight up Dao-Treasuring Peak with Xuan Tong.

Inside the Path-Seeking Courtyard, Xuanming was unsurprised by Xuan Yu's return. The three Daoists sat around a table amid the spreading fragrance of tea, and Xuan Yu said, "Senior Brother, it was as you expected. After Layman Chu returned home, he never went out again. Before the news spread, he told no one except the Chu clan head, who likewise disclosed nothing to outsiders."

At these words, all three Daoists grew solemn.

This meant the problem lay within the Truth-Seeking Abbey.

"I'm not skilled at such matters. Sorry for the trouble, but I'll leave this to you two."

Xuanming spoke.

Some heard the Dao earlier than others, and every art had its specialists.

He had confidence in Xuan Tong and Xuan Yu.

One excelled at untangling relationships, while the other headed the Discipline Hall. Working together, they would surely root out the traitor.

After they settled the details, their business was concluded. Xuanming had intended to send Xuan Yu back early to rest, but unexpectedly, he took a Wish-Fulfilling Pouch from his sleeve, one different from the Truth-Seeking Abbey's standard issue.

Setting it on the table, Xuan Yu explained, "Senior Brother, this is a gift of thanks from the Chu clan for saving Layman Chu's life.

"They intended to deliver it after you revealed your status as a True Person, but they didn't know how long that would take. They feared delaying your cultivation, yet also feared that sending a gift without warning might arouse suspicion. Since I happened to visit, they asked me to bring it back, hoping it would aid your cultivation.

"In the future, the Chu clan head will certainly come with his son to thank you in person."

"Thank you for your efforts, Junior Brother."

After thanking him, Xuanming glanced at the Wish-Fulfilling Pouch but did not rush to inspect it. Only after draining his tea did he open it.

Its interior was as spacious as three horse-drawn carriages.

One portion consisted of spirit herbs, Spirit Materials, and other treasures of heaven and earth, making up the greatest quantity.

Another consisted of five hundred hand-copied Unique Daoist Scriptures, which would greatly enrich the Scripture Pavilion's collection.

The third consisted of three Jade Slips. Though seemingly the smallest portion, it was in fact the most precious: three sets of insights into qi refining.

One was a gift on behalf of the Chu lineage, covering the three stages of greater Heavenly Circuit, returning to Primordial Heaven, and Golden Core condensation.

One was Chu Dong's personal gift, and actually contained the qi refining insights of a Daoist True Person of the greater Heavenly Circuit realm.

One was given by the Chu clan head in his capacity as a father, containing the qi refining insights of a Daoist True Person of the Primordial Heaven Realm.

At this sight, Xuanming laughed heartily.

"What a bold and decisive Chu clan head!"

These three Jade Slips were unquestionably lavish gifts, brimming with sincerity.

Even for an aristocratic clan like Chu, it formed part of its accumulated heritage.

Though they were copies, they remained extraordinarily precious. Especially for the Truth-Seeking Abbey, which had never produced a True Person before, they were treasures that could be passed down through generations, greatly deepening its heritage in one stroke.

For Xuanming, who yearned to understand more of the mysteries of the qi refining realm, they were like charcoal delivered through the snow, like sweet rain after a long drought.

Once Xuan Tong and Xuan Yu learned what the three Jade Slips contained, they were equally excited and openly praised the Chu clan's generosity.

Xuanming was not a stingy man, and he knew that he and the Truth-Seeking Abbey were branches of the same tree, breathing the same breath. After keeping the Jade Slips and some of the resources, he handed the rest to Xuan Tong and instructed him to register them and place them in storage.

"Thank you, Senior Brother!"

Xuan Tong and Xuan Yu bowed in thanks.

The Chu clan had expressly gifted these things to their senior brother.

Even if Senior Brother Xuanming had kept everything, there would have been nothing wrong with it. Yet he had offered a portion back to his abbey, and such generosity moved them and earned their admiration.

After seeing his two junior brothers off, Xuanming stared at the Jade Slips in thought. A moment later, he swept his brush through ink and wrote a single word:

Heritage!

Then he continued writing:

[A tree too broad to embrace grows from a tiny shoot; a nine-story terrace rises from heaps of earth.]

[Give up much, gain much; give up little, gain little.]

[Cooperation benefits both; conflict harms both.]

[Success lies in human effort—do not say all things are fated; circumstances arise from the heart—take one step back, and the world naturally opens wide.]

Perhaps slaughter and intimidation were not the only path available for dealing with his abbey's superior Foundation Establishment method (certainly not because two fists could hardly fight four hands, and definitely not because he feared Saint Embryo Realm True Persons).

With that realization, Xuanming's state of mind shifted, showing a faint sign of advancement. He stroked his beard and smiled, knowing he had chosen the right approach.