Volume 4 Chapter 57: Response

Originally, Xu Qingfan just wanted to use Little Black to check the whereabouts of Immortal Zizhen and see if there was any possibility of contacting Immortal Zizhen. However, he didn’t expect to uncover so many secrets through Little Black. The waves in his heart were beyond words.

After carefully analyzing this information, Xu Qingfan realized for the first time in his life that his intelligence was not enough.

His mind was restless the whole night.

The next morning, light drove away the darkness bit by bit, reclaiming the land that had been ravaged by darkness all night, with joyful radiance dancing in every corner.

As the sunlight illuminated Xu Qingfan’s entire room, his slightly closed eyes slowly opened. He got out of bed, opened the door, and walked outside to the yard.

After thinking all night, Xu Qingfan finally settled on his strategy for the next few days. After repeatedly confirming that there were no loopholes, he felt relieved.

This time, Xu Qingfan went out to find Mo Ziliang, who was waiting patiently outside. Unlike before, he wasn’t going to cover for Little Black’s outing. Since Little Black’s invisibility was useless in broad daylight, Xu Qingfan wanted to create the impression that he enjoyed talking to Mo Ziliang. That way, nobody, especially Liu Ziqing, would be suspicious of his several visits the previous night. Additionally, after a night of thinking, Xu Qingfan felt mentally exhausted, so talking to someone as straightforward as Mo Ziliang would help him relax.

Just like the last two times, using the "Earth Mirror," no matter how Mo Ziliang changed his position, Xu Qingfan easily found him and started with the opening line, "Oh, you’re still here, senior. What a coincidence, we meet again." And then a well-planned conversation began.

Putting aside the differences between their sects and their intentions, Xu Qingfan genuinely enjoyed talking with Mo Ziliang because he saw in Mo Ziliang the true essence of a cultivator: a pure longing for cultivation, with no other thoughts in his mind. To Xu Qingfan, Mo Ziliang was a real seeker of the path. Importantly, when talking with Mo Ziliang, Xu Qingfan felt he didn’t need to be overly cautious.

Cultivation and the Heavenly Way were the topics of their conversation, which had no scheming or need to guess each other’s thoughts. They talked and laughed freely, feeling very relaxed.

After their talk, an hour had passed, and both Xu Qingfan and Mo Ziliang wore satisfied expressions. The watcher continued to watch, and the one being watched continued to be watched, both understanding without speaking.

However, when Xu Qingfan returned to his room, he found Liu Ziqing, or Immortal Xuanzhen as he could be called, already sitting there, having waited for a long time.

After realizing that Liu Ziqing mistakenly thought he was Zhang Xusheng’s subordinate, Xu Qingfan still kept his guard up but was much more relaxed facing Liu Ziqing again. This was because Xu Qingfan knew that Liu Ziqing wouldn’t dare act against him before his plan succeeded.

This time, Liu Ziqing’s visit was still about probing, clearly not feeling assured about the previous night’s events. Xu Qingfan remained cautious and humble, not allowing the potential disruption of Liu Ziqing’s carefully laid plans to make him overconfident.

After finally dealing with Liu Ziqing, and respectfully seeing off this person, whether frightening or pathetic, Xu Qingfan settled down, sitting cross-legged on his bed, closing his eyes to rest and replenish his energy.

All actions took place at night, so now was the time to rest and regain strength.

…

Night seems inherently linked with plots, schemes, machinations, and even thieves. Besides enjoying the tranquility of the night, Xu Qingfan had never imagined that one day he would be waiting for nightfall to plot against others.

As he rested with his eyes closed, time flew by quickly; it felt like only a moment before day turned into night, darkness regaining its hold over the world. Everything around seemed so calm yet obscure.

Pushing the door open again, he looked up at the sparse starry sky. Xu Qingfan took a deep breath and once more headed in Mo Ziliang’s direction.

This time, Xu Qingfan was also covering for Little Black.

Deceiving someone as honest as Mo Ziliang always made Xu Qingfan feel uneasy, but he had no choice. Encountering someone like Mo Ziliang on his first try was quite a stroke of luck. Although there were three cultivators watching Xu Qingfan, he couldn’t expect everyone to be as easily fooled as Mo Ziliang, who forgot everything else once he started discussing Taoist principles. So, Xu Qingfan reluctantly but happily continued to deceive Mo Ziliang.

The events mirrored those of the previous night. While Mo Ziliang and Xu Qingfan discussed Taoist philosophies, Little Black’s shadowy form silently integrated into the dark night, flying over Mo Ziliang’s head and swiftly heading towards the back mountain of Ronghua.

After a round of conversation, with Mo Ziliang deeply engrossed, Xu Qingfan suddenly found an excuse to leave, knowing that Little Black had likely crossed the barrier between the front and back mountains, reaching the place where Immortal Zizhen was trapped.

Mo Ziliang’s words, "Taoist Friend Xu, will you come again tonight? I will wait for you no matter what," made Xu Qingfan’s heart tremble. Initially thinking of talking more with Mo Ziliang once the matters were settled, he now realized he needed to reconsider.

After returning to his room, Xu Qingfan sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and once again used the "Heart Eye Technique."

Although Xu Qingfan’s plan needed just Little Black for today, he couldn’t feel at ease without personally checking, so he decided it would be best to observe through Little Black.

As Xu Qingfan fully immersed his spirit into the "Heart Eye Technique," his vision suddenly changed, transforming into what Little Black was seeing.

Just as Xu Qingfan had predicted, Little Black had already eroded the barrier and was swiftly flying towards the tangled area of the peculiar trees.

Once he reached where Immortal Zizhen was held captive, Little Black started cawing loudly, with a voice so harsh and unrefined it was appalling. But since Xu Qingfan had previously forbidden him to make noise for a long time, Little Black now had Xu Qingfan’s permission and was calling out joyously.

However, throughout the whole of Ronghua’s back mountain, except for that "Quelan Jail" area, there were no Qingxu cultivators, so though Little Black’s calls were loud and unpleasant, Xu Qingfan wasn’t worried about being discovered.

According to Xu Qingfan’s judgment, surrounded by the strange giant trees, Immortal Zizhen likely couldn’t extend his Divine Sense very far, only able to hear sounds amidst the trees.

Indeed, even with Immortal Zizhen’s Mahayana Stage mindset, the sound of Little Black’s unpleasant calls was unbearable. Suddenly, his voice came from within the giant trees, "Strange, in our Qingxu Holy Land, how could a crow appear? At this time, the back mountain is completely barren and should have no living creatures. Little crow, are you calling so urgently because you can’t find food throughout the back mountain?"

Hearing Immortal Zizhen’s voice, Xu Qingfan sighed in relief, previously fearing that Immortal Zizhen, angered by Liu Ziqing’s words last night, might decide to shut off all senses and enter permanent seclusion.

After Little Black heard sounds coming from the giant tree, it became a bit upset because, according to Xu Qingfan’s orders, whenever there were sounds from the tree, it couldn’t chirp freely.

Yet, no matter what, Little Black obediently threw the green spiritual bead it was holding in its left claw to the ground.

This green spiritual bead seemed extremely fragile, shattering upon impact with the ground, releasing a wisp of smoke that hung in the air without being dispersed by the wind.

As the smoke swirled, a voice gradually emerged from it, and it was Xu Qingfan’s voice.

"Hello, Senior Zizhen, I am speaking to you through the ‘Sound Condensing Pearl,’ so you needn’t speak, just listen."

"I am Xu Fan, a rogue cultivator from the Southern Wasteland. Fifty years ago, I encountered Senior Liu Huaxiang of Jiuhua Mountain, who greatly helped me. He entrusted me with delivering a letter to you. Naturally, I intended to fulfill this promise. Unfortunately, at the time, I was at a critical stage in my cultivation, and only recently was I able to depart and seek you at ‘Ronghua Mountain,’ where I learned of the Qinglingzi incident and sensed something was amiss. Therefore, I did not hand over the letter to the people of Qingxu Gate but infiltrated it instead. After days of covert investigation, I finally discovered your predicament."

"After much deliberation, I have devised a plan. My spirit beast is called ‘Dark Crow,’ whose body harbors a death aura capable of corroding anything. Thus, I crafted a ‘Death Spirit Pearl.’ If you wish to escape now, I’ll have Dark Crow place the pearl in a hidden spot among the trees. The death aura inside will be released over a day, gradually corroding the giant trees. With your powers, I believe in just a few dozen days, you can break free. I will await your summons near ‘Xuhuan Gate’ once you regain control of Qingxu Gate."

"If you do not wish to leave at this moment or do not trust me, I ask you to keep today a secret. Please also decide on how to handle Senior Liu Huaxiang’s letter."

After Xu Qingfan’s voice faded, the smoke that emitted the sound suddenly dispersed with the wind, leaving no trace behind.

Silently using the deathly energy to corrode and trap the strange trees surrounding Immortal Zizhen, and breaking through with Immortal Zizhen’s strength, was precisely the simplest, safest, and most practical method Xu Qingfan had thought of.

Additionally, Xu Qingfan’s words were both true and false. While it was true that Liu Huaxiang had entrusted him to deliver a letter to Immortal Zizhen, Xu Qingfan concealed his identity. Firstly, Xu Qingfan feared that if the plan failed, exposing his identity would implicate the lineage of Jiuhua Mountain. Secondly, he was unsure if Immortal Zizhen had any biases against certain sects, so to be safe, he chose to hide his identity.

Moreover, Xu Qingfan did not mention overhearing the conversation between Immortal Zizhen and Liu Ziqing the previous night. That conversation was full of secrets, and even though Xu Qingfan had saved Immortal Zizhen and was both a junior of an old acquaintance of Zizhen and a Deacon Elder of Jiuhua Mountain, Immortal Zizhen might have kept him in "Ronghua Mountain" for three to five hundred more years.

While secretly reviewing his plans, Xu Qingfan anxiously awaited Immortal Zizhen’s response. If Immortal Zizhen doubted his identity and refused to cooperate, Xu Qingfan’s scheme would be in vain.

But in the end, Immortal Zizhen fulfilled Xu Qingfan’s wishes.

After Xu Qingfan finished speaking, the giant trees were silent for a long time before Immortal Zizhen’s old voice suddenly spoke, "Since young friend has planned for so long, let it be done as you say. Thank you."

Hearing Immortal Zizhen’s response, Xu Qingfan, far on the mountainside, breathed a sigh of relief and directed Little Black to find a hidden corner among the strange giant trees to drop the "Death Spirit Pearl."

Regarding the "Death Spirit Pearl," Xu Qingfan hadn’t mentioned a few things. First, if he wished, Xu Qingfan could have made the ‘Death Spirit Pearl’ take effect immediately. However, to be cautious, he wrapped the spiritual bead formed by deathly energy with a layer of "Flourish Qi." This was to prevent the early activation of the "Death Spirit Pearl" from being discovered by Liu Ziqing and others. As the main suspect, even if Liu Ziqing was wary because Xu Qingfan was under Zhang Xusheng’s command, they might still detain him forever in "Ronghua Mountain." With the "Flourish Qi" layer, it would take a day for the deathly energy to break through, allowing Xu Qingfan to leave "Ronghua Mountain" after giving his lecture and avoiding any entanglement.

Furthermore, to be doubly sure, Xu Qingfan not only infused Little Black’s entire deathly energy into the "Death Spirit Pearl," but also all his own "Withered qi." Since these strange trees could trap a Mahayana cultivator, even though it’s a Mahayana cultivator operating at only thirty percent power, they couldn’t be underestimated. Therefore, Xu Qingfan believed that caution was the best approach.

After Little Black threw the "Death Spirit Pearl" and quickly flew towards the front mountain, Xu Qingfan let out a sigh of relief, knowing that his plan was halfway complete.

Then, Xu Qingfan’s expression became calm. He stood up from the bed and walked out the door.

To cover Little Black’s return, Xu Qingfan had to deceive old Mr. Mo Ziliang again, but thankfully, it was for the last time.

…

The next day, as the morning light just brushed the horizon, Xu Qingfan opened his eyes and awoke from his meditation.

This was Xu Qingfan’s third day at the "Qingxu Gate" and presumably his last, yet it was also the day he was supposed to preach.

Last night, perhaps feeling guilty about his recent deceptions, Xu Qingfan spent considerable time discussing cultivation and the Heavenly Way with Mo Ziliang. While it couldn’t make up for everything, it at least slightly eased Xu Qingfan’s conscience. Discussing the mysteries of cultivation was a shared passion in the cultivation world, and while satisfying Mo Ziliang’s curiosity, Xu Qingfan also gained much from it.

Recently, Xu Qingfan had been planning how not to reveal his intentions or how to deliver Liu Huaxiang’s letter to Immortal Zizhen. He hadn’t given much thought to the preaching at Qingxu, but once everything else was resolved, the impending lecture made him suddenly nervous.

Xu Qingfan was not new to preaching; he had taught Ting’er multiple times and even, at Li Yuhan’s invitation, lectured to disciples at Jiuhua’s three institutions.

However, in those few times, there were only one or two hundred people listening to him preach, and his skills were far inferior to Xu Qingfan’s, so naturally, Xu Qingfan didn’t feel any nervousness.

But this time was different. According to what Xuan Ling, Liu Ziqing, Mo Ziliang, and others had introduced earlier, whenever someone came to Qingxu to preach, unless they were in seclusion, everyone from Qingxu Gate had to be present, and that was thousands of people! Furthermore, there were over forty elders of Qingxu with skills surpassing Xu Qingfan’s, and since Xu Qingfan hadn’t prepared at all, how could he not be nervous?

Nonetheless, Mo Ziliang truly was Xu Qingfan’s lucky star. A conversation the night before suddenly enlightened Xu Qingfan, giving him a clear path for the upcoming sermon.

It turned out that on the previous night, after finishing everything, Xu Qingfan had an intense discussion about immortals with Mo Ziliang. However, Xu Qingfan’s level of skill was much lower than Mo Ziliang’s, and some of the ideas he proposed were ones Mo Ziliang had already thought of, which could lead to even more profound discussions. Initially, the two debated with each other, but it soon became more like Mo Ziliang talking and Xu Qingfan listening.

In the end, Xu Qingfan had no choice but to discuss the aspects of the "Way of Life and Death" he had comprehended from practicing the "Formula of Wither and Flourish" and creating the "Formula of Life and Death" with Mo Ziliang. This discussion surprised Mo Ziliang pleasantly, as very few in the cultivation world had considered these ideas, and none, like Xu Qingfan, had both "Flourish Qi" and "Withered Qi," two entirely opposing forces, within them. The insights gained were naturally quite different from that of ordinary cultivators.

After Xu Qingfan shared his understanding of the "Way of Life and Death," their discussion turned into a true exchange.

Following this, Xu Qingfan decided that for his Qingxu sermon, he would speak about the "Way of Life and Death." When he made this decision, he initially felt some hesitation, as he hadn’t mentioned these things to Ting’er much. But upon reconsideration, he felt at ease. The Qingxu Gate could preach to cultivators worldwide every ten years without charge, so why couldn’t he? Moreover, if someone hadn’t practiced the "Formula of Wither and Flourish" or didn’t have both life and death energies within them, all Xu Qingfan’s words would do was bring a fresh perspective, without any practical benefit.

Of course, if Qingxu Gate suddenly produced a genius who could create something like the "Formula of Wither and Flourish" or "Formula of Life and Death" from Xu Qingfan’s "Way of Life and Death," then Xu Qingfan would have nothing to say.

Just as Xu Qingfan was frowning, contemplating the important details for his upcoming sermon, there came a knock on the door, accompanied by Zhang Pei’s respectful voice, "Senior Xu, the time for your sermon is almost here. Please make your way to the top of Ronghua Mountain, in front of Qingxu Hall."

As Zhang Pei’s voice fell, the sound of several cranes could be heard from the front of Ronghua Mountain; it was the call used by the "Qingxu Gate" to gather its members.

When Xu Qingfan stepped outside, he found that in addition to Zhang Pei and Dai Guan, Liu Ziqing and Mo Ziliang were waiting.

…

When Xu Qingfan, along with Liu Ziqing and Mo Ziliang, flew on clouds to the top of Ronghua Mountain before Qingxu Hall, he saw that in front of Qingxu Hall, there were about two to three thousand Qingxu cultivators sitting cross-legged on the open ground, waiting, densely packed and forming a vast crowd that made one feel dizzy.

In front of the seated Qingxu disciples, a bamboo platform was set up, and on it sat about thirty Qingxu elders, waiting quietly just like the ordinary Qingxu disciples.

Seeing such a grand scene, the nervousness that lingered in Xu Qingfan’s heart suddenly disappeared.

Upon Xu Qingfan’s arrival, the entire Qingxu cultivator group stood up neatly. Both ordinary Qingxu disciples and the highly respected Qingxu elders bowed deeply to Xu Qingfan, showing their respect and gratitude to the speaker of the "Qingxu Gate."

Amidst this grand sight of thousands bowing, Xu Qingfan slowly descended from the cloud, and as he landed, the Qingxu members straightened up.

Witnessing this scene, Xu Qingfan admired in his heart that regardless of the changes within the Qingxu Gate, this pursuit and yearning for the Heavenly Way were unmatched by any other sect.

In his heart, Xu Qingfan secretly decided that after returning to Jiuhua Mountain, he would also organize a Jiuhua sermon. This would greatly benefit Jiuhua’s future development.

However, Xu Qingfan also noticed that while there was nothing wrong with the etiquette, some elders seemed reluctant when they bowed, and when they straightened up, their eyes ranged from defiant to distrustful. Clearly, they did not believe that Xu Qingfan, who was only in the middle stage of the Fake Golden Core Stage, could say anything that would interest those cultivators at the Real Golden Core Stage and above. Among them, the most obvious was the tall and thin elder sitting next to Xuan Ling, with other Qingxu elders with unusual expressions also seated around him. Xu Qingfan knew this elder was the famed Huanlingzi, who was well known alongside Xuan Ling.

In response, Xu Qingfan just smiled slightly, unconcerned, knowing the sermon would soon prove everything.

According to the rules of the "Qingxu Gate," as long as the speaker sat on the mat in the middle of the bamboo platform, the sermon would begin. Xu Qingfan did not indulge in any extra courtesies after arriving at the venue, but sat directly on the mat, thus beginning the sermon.

Looking at the two to three thousand Qingxu disciples beneath the bamboo platform, all with peculiar expressions, Xu Qingfan took a deep breath. His emotions suddenly became incredibly calm, and then he smiled faintly. With a gesture, a small flower floated from below the bamboo platform into Xu Qingfan’s hand.

As many Qingxu disciples looked on in astonishment, and some Qingxu elders sneered, the flower in Xu Qingfan’s hand suddenly began to wilt, only to become full and vibrant again moments later. This cycle of wilting and blooming repeated several times.

Witnessing Xu Qingfan’s performance, the expressions on everyone’s faces grew serious.