"Now, will Sect Master Dan speak of the situation?"

While Hou Shu said this with his usual courtesy, Dan Xuan could feel the Nascent Soul Great Completion Aura constricting around him like a python.

While Dan Xuan himself was someone who was half a foot into the Nascent Soul stage, he still felt great pressure.

He knew he would have to speak of everything and not hide anything, even sect secrets, or he would have to pay a great price.

He gritted his teeth and started to speak. "It all began fourteen years ago... There was an enormous blizzard during Chou month of that year... It took all the residents by surprise as this place is usually permeated with Earth and Fire and Wood Qi."

"While unexpected, changes in the four seasons are not rare. And by the looks of it, this blizzard was not of an unprecedented scale that would cause scarcity of resources, no matter how barren this place may be." Hou Shu spoke.

Hearing him talk about Barren Plains as some backwater place, even if in an elegant manner, made Dan Xuan feel that his heart had been pierced.

But despite the turmoil in his heart, Dan Xuan didn't show it on his face, he is a sect master after all.

"Yes, the blizzard was not the main cause, it was those bastards who took advantage of it!" Dan Xuan bellowed, resentment in his voice apparent.

"Who were they?" Hou Shu narrowed his eyes.

"A group of demonic cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage, their leaders were at quasi-golden core stage. They made use of the blizzard as a cover and broke into various sects, with the help of a lone array master they seemed to have hired at a great price, and stole a lot of resources from Zhiji Mountain Sect, All Blue Sect and Green Bull Sect." Said Dan Xuan with a scowl.

"So it was these cultivators of the demonic path that made the sects of the Barren Plains go into war?" Said Hou Shu with a pondering expression.

"They might have claimed to be from one faction when they were caught." Bai Ling who was silently listening, remarked.

"No, truth confirmation methods should have ratted them out. Not every member of the group should have techniques to bypass it..." Hou Shu refuted this.

"Senior's and Junior's deduction skills are advanced! This one is jealous of this level of talent." Dan Xuan remarked.

"Enough flattering!" Hou Shu waved his hands, not just because he wanted to investigate the matter at hand but because he didn't want Bai Ling to be showered in praise, which Dan Xuan seemed to be glad to do.

"Tell me about what really happened." Said Hou Shu, not wanting to waste any more time.

"What Junior Bai Ling said really happened!" Dan Xuan emphasized, fearing that Hou Shu might not believe it, "After much interrogation by the joint forces of my Zhiji Mountain Sect, All Blue Sect and Green Bull Sect, they revealed that they were a group formed by disciples of South Sky Sect and Misty Plains Sect, two behemoths of the southern part of Barren Plains."

"Of course, we didn't believe them, but when the combined forces of our sects repeatedly confirmed that they were the disciples of South Sky and Misty Plains Sect, we had no choice but to believe them." As he said this, Dan Xuan had a strange glow in his eyes, barely noticeable.

"Sect Master Chen, Sect Master Dun and I went to southern Plains to confront the Misty Plains Sect and Green Bull Sect. And of course, they vehemently denied it, but..." Dan Xuan's forehead creased, appearing rather unsightly on his child-like face, "They were too unprepared and shocked."

"One can fake being in shock, but faking unpreparedness is nigh impossible." Commented Hou Shu.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"Seeing them, we decided to not pursue the matter. But because we had already made a move, we couldn't return empty handed either, so we and the Sect Master Ji and Dong from the two southern sects made an agreement that we would be provided with compensation."

Seeing that Dan Xuan didn't try to fawn over them, made Hou Shu pleased.

At this moment, Dan Xuan let out a hollow laugh and said, "I don't know if the heavens have forsaken us, because just as we were taking vows and exchanging seals to complete the agreement, the news of Misty Rain Sect and Green Bull Sect pillaging our resources accidentally spread through the lower echelons of our sect."

"Are you sure that it was accidental?" Hou Shu sent a piercing gaze toward Dan Xuan.

Dan Xuan felt the Nascent Soul Great Completion Aura tightening around him, making him feel as if he was suffocating.

But even in this suffocation, Dan Xuan said with a miserable smile, "No matter how much Senior pushes, what I have said is the truth... We had thoroughly investigated who had leaked this matter, but it was only by chance that an inner disciple heard it from an elder because of the divine ability that he was born with. Oh heavens! You are so cruel."

"And this leak led to a riot in the three sects and later evolved into a war... Senior, We, the Sect Masters, don't want this war... Barren Plains is already not wealthy, and this war is only making us poor."

At this instance, Dan Xuan felt Hou Shu's Nascent Soul aura disappearing, making him feel as if a mountain was lifted off his shoulders.

"This one understands," Hou Shu nodded and waved his sleeve, making a spirit stone appear in his hands.

"I have my methods and have confirmed what you have said is the truth. So I can't just leave without giving you any compensation. Please accept this pinnacle-grade spiritual stone." Saying this, Hou Shu sent the spirit stone towards Dan Xuan.

Dan Xuan quickly took it and put it into his storage bag.

He then cuffed his hands and said, "Forgive this Junior for being crude, but my Zhiji Mountain Sect is really in dire need of this."

"This one doesn't mind, I was also someone with low cultivation in the past, this one understands a thing or two about this." Hou Shu laughed.

"Now that all matters are complete, this one will take my leave then." Said Hou Shu as he and Bai Ling stood up from their seats.

"Let this Junior escort Senior out of my sect." Said Dan Xuan as he also hurriedly stood up.

"No need, I have bothered Sect Master Dan quite a bit, I shouldn't bother anymore." Said Hou Shu, slowly walking out of the pagoda with his disciple.

Dan Xuan quickly followed them, "No, how could Junior be bothered? Let this ju—"

But before he could reach them, the master and disciple duo had already turned into two streaks of color, flying through the cold sky, leaving Dan Xuan standing at the entrance of the pagoda.

***

As they were flying through the sky, Bai Ling couldn't hold on and asked, "Master, why didn't you use the Red Book? This would have resolved that interaction quite quickly."

"Good question, as expected of my disciple," Remarked Hou Shu, "There are two reasons I didn't use Red Book, each reason not weaker than the other."

Hou Shu raised his index finger, "One, while Red Book is an artifact that dominates in all matters of interrogation, Red Book has its drawbacks too. Red Book can extract almost all information the moment it appears in the mind, but it needs the target's compliance or the cultivator's Sea of Consciousness will be destroyed."

"Dan Xuan is the Sect Master of Zhiji Mountain Sect, even though he acted subserviently in front of me if I tried to extract information from his mind, he would rather self-destruct than let others know the true teachings of his sect."

He then raised his middle finger, "Two, We are from the orthodox way, we have rules we have to abide by. We are not demons nor members of the black way, we cannot wantonly attack others without a cause. Dan Xuan is just a Sect Master in the eyes of the cultivator world, I don't have any proof that he is an accomplice or the mastermind, so I cannot extract information from him."

He then closed his eyes and connected the index and middle finger together, forming the Taiyi hand seal and said, "Sage relies on nothing, yet his task is accomplished."

"I may have a powerful artifact, but I do not need it to investigate. I have been following the way of investigation for hundreds of years, I can deduce things from minute details... As for what I deduced from Dan Xuan, he told what he knew and believed in, but his mind was in confusion." Said Hou Shu with a solemn look.

"What else do you want to ask, Ling'er?" Said Hou Shu, while still solemn, his lips were curled up ever so slightly, expressing gentleness.

"Yes Master, where we are heading? Chijia Village?" Asked Bai Ling.

Hou Shu laughed and said, "No, we are going to the rest of the sects of Barren Plain!"