When Shi Song stepped into the top floor of Sky Wing Tower, the atmosphere at the banquet suddenly became subtly tense. Even an "outsider" like Zhao Zirui could sense that the banquet seemed to have been split in two, with two distinct auras intertwining. Every individual from Sheer Cliff City seemed to be drawing their lines of allegiance. But before the mood could become any more palpable, Shi Song strode to the head of the table and deeply bowed to Xie Yan:
"Thank you, Immortal Elder, for your help, sparing my Thousands Spirits Sect from the calamity of the Demons' massacre. The gratitude of the Thousands Spirits Sect resonates deeply within us!"
The attendees, unaware of the serious matter he was referring to, were all curious. Xie Yan, however, maintained his usual expression, his almost colorless eyes too lazy to move, and he simply nodded.
Shi Song, unfazed, turned to Yu Ci: "The righteous act of Daoist friend Yu, is also deeply ingrained in the heart of my Thousands Spirits Sect."
He was referring to the matter of dealing with Tu Du. Yu Ci did not say much, just smiled and returned the bow.
Shi Song, on the outside, seemed to be a very straightforward person, even a bit fiery. After paying respect to Xie Yan and Yu Ci, he went straight to his seat, which was next to Yu Ci. Then, he lifted his head, his face marked deeply by time, making him look aged. There were three parallel thin scars on his cheek, said to be a memento from his encounter with Jin Huan.
At this moment, he stared at Jin Huan with an intensity that anyone could understand. His eyes seemed to be aflame, and Jin Huan stared back just as fiercely. The temperature in the hall seemed to rise instantly, making people's skin feel dry.
Without a doubt, if there was even a slight provocation, these two would start a fight, a life-or-death struggle. This atmosphere had already gone beyond the scope of a Treasure Exchange Banquet.
Yu Ci, however, did not concern himself with the almost completely unveiled turbulence at the banquet. He turned his head to look at Xie Yan.
At this moment, he clearly sensed a storm gathering in Xie Yan's eyes. This storm had been building since the beginning of the banquet, and reached its peak when Shi Song and Jin Huan were confronting each other. Then came a deep question:
"Where is the Golden Bone Jade Disc?"
This was the first time he had spoken since sitting down. Including Shi Song and Jin Huan, the old enemies, everyone at the banquet looked at him in surprise. Yu Ci saw Zhou Youde's face first show surprise, then as if remembering something, his brows furrowed.
After a moment of silence in the hall, Zhou Youde lowered his voice, and with an uncertain tone, said: "Does Immortal Elder Xie mean..."
Just by looking at his expression, Yu Ci knew something was amiss. Xie Yan, standing next to him, had already tightened his grip on the black-sheathed long sword in his hand. Hurrying to speak first, he addressed the steward, "Steward Zhou, I heard that our esteemed Elder Xie has learned that your esteemed house has acquired a Golden Bone Jade Disc from the Western Buddha Land, intending to sell it at the Treasure Exchange Banquet. Is this true?"
As these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall shifted again. Most of the people at the banquet turned their gaze to the Smoke Tree, their eyes flickering with anticipation, trying to pierce through the smoke to see what the Golden Bone Jade Disc that Xie Yan requested looked like. Zhou Youde, usually always smiling, had a change of color on his face:
"Does Immortal Elder Xie urgently need this item?"
Xie Yan did not respond, only fixing his aqua-colored eyes on Zhou Youde.
Under this gaze, Zhou Youde felt as uncomfortable as if he were sitting on a bed of needles. In fact, he could no longer sit still. He did not dare to meet Xie Yan's gaze and instead turned his eyes to Yu Ci, as if pleading for his understanding:
"We did have the Golden Bone Jade Disc at one point."
He paused before continuing, "That was information provided by someone else. After our house used that information to acquire the treasure, just after crossing the Sky Rift Valley, the person who provided the information was waiting there to exchange it for a precious item. His behavior was strange, but it was within the rules, so..."
Yu Ci, having listened to half of the explanation, felt a chill in his heart. Still, he clung to a sliver of hope: "The identity of that person?"
Zhou Youde's face was a terrible color, and he could only force a bitter smile: "I don't know."
At this moment, the heated atmosphere in the banquet hall, stirred up by the confrontation between Jin Huan and Shi Song, was swept away by a cold wind that seemed to blow from the depths of a dark cave.
Xie Yan abruptly stood up.
Zhou Youde, who had seen much of the world, felt his body go limp at this moment. He ended up sitting back down.
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Even if no one in the hall, apart from Yu Ci, understood what was going on, Xie Yan did not bother to hide his emotions. His annoyance, regret, and restlessness were palpable to everyone, and such emotions were like a sword sheath on the verge of breaking, revealing a peerless blade within.
In this atmosphere, everyone had no doubt that Xie Yan might actually draw his sword and strike Zhou Youde down or perhaps even all of them!
Yu Ci frowned and also stood up, about to speak, when he saw Xie Yan walk out of the banquet hall without a word, leaving behind a group of stunned and tongue-tied people, especially those who were still in the dark.
Yu Ci sighed and followed him out.
Xie Yan hadn't gone far, just standing on an outdoor viewing platform, looking up at the completely darkened night sky. Yu Ci walked up behind him, wanting to say a few words of comfort but not knowing where to start. Just then, Fish-Dragon swam out from the bamboo forest, shaking its head and wagging its tail, looking carefree.
The gazes of the two men simultaneously fell upon the Fish-Dragon, their emotions quite complex. Then, Yu Ci heard Xie Yan speak, uttering words that seemed unrelated to what was happening before:
"The first step in a person's cultivation is to find a path, whether it is their own or someone else's. With a path, there is something to rely on. If one is stepping into emptiness, even if others want to help, they can't."
He was talking about Yu Zhou. Yu Ci listened quietly, at this moment, there was no need for him to express his opinion, and he had no mood to do so.
Xie Yan continued, "The so-called immortality is like the sky, boundless and infinite, able to contain everything. Each star in it is a goal for immortality. Find your star, connect it with yourself, and that is the path to immortality you seek. Such a simple thing, yet some people are confused. They only see the sky, but not the stars. They throw their line into the sky, but it twists and turns, ultimately leading them astray."
He was still talking about Yu Zhou, but he was also instructing Yu Ci. Finally, he turned his gaze, "You are doing well now, whether it's for the long term or not, at least you have a goal ahead of you, and you are decisive in your actions."
Yu Ci knew that he couldn't hide his plans from him these days, but he was still a bit embarrassed when they were spoken out loud. He wanted to explain, but saw Xie Yan wave his hand, "Go ahead and do it, good or bad, as long as you do something, it's ten thousand times better than keeping it in your heart!"
With that, he didn't give Yu Ci a chance to say more. With a sudden whistle, he flew into the sky on his sword, his whereabouts unknown. Yu Ci wanted to talk to him about the Fish-Dragon because the Golden Bone Jade Disc was missing, and he didn't know how to deal with the Fish-Dragon, but he could only put it aside for now, and it was almost time.
Looking at the mountain city lit by thousands of lights, Yu Ci slapped his cheeks to shake off his previous melancholy, blew some cold wind, and then stepped in. At the door, he ran into Geng Fu, who was huddled in the corner. This fat man was indeed a sharp individual, clearly sensing the wrong atmosphere inside, he looked over with a mournful face.
Seeing him, Yu Ci couldn't help but think of the Divine Bronze Mirror that had just reacted. At this time, the temperature of the Divine Bronze Mirror had cooled down, returning to its normal state, but there seemed to be some subtle changes inside that he needed to explore. Thinking of the research that had been stagnant for a long time, he felt quite positive towards this fat shopkeeper, smiled at him, and walked straight into the hall.
As soon as he entered, all eyes turned to him. At this time, no one could ignore Xie Yan's attitude. Not to mention the Lichen Sect behind Xie Yan, even Xie Yan himself, with his lofty Vacuum Walking Cultivation Level, if he really got angry, it would be enough to give everyone present a good show!
Yu Ci understood these people's thoughts well. Thus, he calmly returned to his seat, picked up his cup, and gestured to everyone at the banquet:
"Rejoice when it's time to rejoice, and be angry when it's time to be angry. Elder Xie is a man of genuine character, unadorned by pretense. It would be best if you all get used to it."
Since he raised his cup, regardless of what the people at the banquet were thinking, they were obliged to respond in kind, and so they all raised their cups to drink together. However, there were two exceptions. One was Jin Huan, who, without Xie Yan's presence to suppress him, would not allow his pride to comply with the likes of Yu Ci. The other was Red Yin, who sat next to him. This equally proud beauty had been very low-key since entering the banquet hall, silent and uncommunicative. But when everyone raised their cups to drink together, she had no intention of following the crowd. She watched with a half-smile on her lips and a cool gaze.
Yu Ci saw all of this, but pretended not to notice.
After finishing his drink, Shi Song, who was sitting next to Yu Ci, nodded to him in acknowledgement and then burst into laughter: "I arrived late and missed what precious item has Master Yi Xin been praising so highly?"
With his comment, the frosty atmosphere created by Xie Yan started to warm up again.
To his knowingly rhetorical question, Monk Yi Xin just smiled slightly, not saying much, and turned his gaze to Zhou Youde.
Zhou Youde, burdened with a heavy heart, did not feel any relief even after his drink. However, being a seasoned man, he knew that the most important thing now was to remain calm. So, he put on a smile, rephrased his previous introduction, and repeated it.
Shi Song nodded repeatedly after listening: "Master Yi Xin has a discerning eye. This Heart-Connecting Rhinoceros Ring is indeed the most suitable for my sect's method. In that case, I have a treasure here. Please take a look, Steward Zhou, could it possibly be exchanged for this ring?"
As he spoke, he took out a large conch-shaped object from his Storage Ring. It was bone-white and eerily colored. Everyone looked closely and found that it was a piece made of bone, not a whole piece, but assembled from hundreds of tiny bone fragments, with intricate lines extending to every corner.
Shi Song raised this eerie object to his mouth, placed it over the air inlet at the back, and blew gently. A "woo-woo" sound rang out, interspersed with a series of sharp, tinkling sounds, as if dozens of whistles were sounding inside. The sound waves penetrated the four walls and echoed throughout the Sky Wing Tower, creating a very strange atmosphere.
The cultivators present, to varying degrees, were all somewhat taken aback. After watching Shi Song's demonstration, they gleaned a lot of information and were left looking at each other, unsure of what expression to wear.
Just then, the night sky outside brightened slightly, as if someone had set off fireworks.
**********
The fireworks show began. Brother Fishbone raised his cup to invite all his reader friends to enjoy it together. Eh, don't be like Jin Huan and Red Yin, who didn't give face. Feel free to give your collections!
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I have also posted the following more chapters [All free] on: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e