Free Web NovelChapter 165: Chapter 165: Questioning
The Xuandao Sect was a major Upper Sect.
Especially in a small cultivation nation like the Fire Cave Dynasty, it was an absolutely colossal existence.
Even though the three were just newcomers to the sect, in the eyes of the You family Cultivators, they were completely unfathomable.
Seeing their profound auras, the You family Cultivators simply assumed they were powerful disciples who had withdrawn from the front lines.
"Sirs, this season’s Fire Lacquer Stones have all been picked over. They’ve been scoured five times already. How could there be any left?"
One of them forced a smile and said sincerely,
"Please, have a look elsewhere. If you’re lucky at another site and find a rich vein, there might be some scraps left over..."
They were perceptive enough; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to remain entrenched here for generations.
Their standard practice when dealing with outsiders was to be agreeable to make money and to placate others to keep the peace.
Zhao Jingyu’s brow furrowed.
"Are you sure there’s not a single one?"
His gaze swept toward the mine’s entrance. With his sharp hearing, he could tell a large group of people was approaching the opening.
Their approach was accompanied by the sound of weary whispers.
It seemed the miners were finishing their shifts, carrying their day’s haul up with them.
He specialized in Body Refinement, and his focused stare placed immense pressure on the Qi Refining Fourth Layer Cultivator before him.
It was like being stared down by a Demon Beast.
’Judging by this man’s aura, even our Patriarch wouldn’t be able to act tough if he were here.’
The You family Cultivator said hoarsely,
"To be clear, sirs, after the Fire Lacquer Stone is mined, it still needs to go through several processing steps before it takes its final form."
"The process is quite time-consuming. If you want to wait, it will be at least three months."
He wasn’t lying. The Fire Lacquer Stones that circulated in the outside world had a smooth, dark-red surface and looked to be of the highest quality.
But the raw ore from the mines looked nothing like that.
It had a rough appearance, and a light scratch with a finger would reveal the impurities underneath.
Bai Mo glanced at a basket placed to the side. The few pieces of ore inside were clearly unprocessed.
Only after the "lacquer" was refined from the ore would it be considered a properly processed stone.
Wan Shenxiu, his expression blank, spoke softly.
"Besides the ’righteous warriors’ from the front line, who else has been here?"
The people in the southern Fire Cave Dynasty called the rebels "righteous warriors," a clear sign of their support.
The You family Cultivator hurriedly waved his hands.
"Sirs, you absolutely mustn’t get any ideas about those Fire Lacquer Stones! The Cultivators from the Upper Sect cannot be disturbed!"
Bai Mo turned to look at him.
"Upper Sect? The Xuandao Sect?"
"What are you talking about? We haven’t seen any Cultivators from the Xuandao Sect in a long time. The ones here now are the Immortals from the Douchen Sect..."
’How could they disturb the Immortals from an Upper Sect? If they were displeased, it would stir up more trouble in the Fire Cave Dynasty.’
Wan Shenxiu turned and walked away without another word.
Bai Mo shook his head and sighed, saying nothing as he followed.
"It seems the Fire Cave Dynasty has become completely estranged from our sect."
Zhao Jingyu, who had followed without understanding the situation, was baffled and asked repeatedly,
"Don’t tell me they’ve defected to the Douchen Sect?"
"That’s not certain yet," Bai Mo said.
"But the Fire Cave Dynasty is, in name, still a vassal of our Xuandao Sect. Yet now they’re worried about offending Douchen..."
"They didn’t even mention us, their actual suzerain. It’s not hard to invoke our name, so it’s clear they’ve truly forgotten about our sect."
The Douchen Sect had a thousand-year legacy and an equally profound heritage.
The Fire Cave Dynasty was rich in Fire Lacquer Stone, so it was understandable that others would covet it.
But the Douchen Sect was thousands of miles away, separated by a great marsh that took half a month to cross by boat.
Bai Mo himself had only heard of the sect’s name after joining the Xuandao Sect.
He had no idea how they had made their way to the Fire Cave Dynasty.
The You family Cultivator behind them watched the three leave and couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.
"Who were those guys? Did we offend them?"
"Who cares? As long as they don’t have their eyes on us, it’s fine. The Patriarch warned us not to get involved in this mess..."
...
Bai Mo hadn’t gone far. He tilted his head slightly.
His gaze fell upon the boy, who was trailing them from a distance.
None of the three paid him any mind.
Zhao Jingyu asked, "Are we still going to check out the rebels’ headquarters?"
Bai Mo and Wan Shenxiu nodded.
It would be good to see just how deeply the people from the Douchen Sect were involved.
"Immortals, are you looking for Fire Lacquer Stone?"
Seeing that Bai Mo and the others were ignoring him, the boy jogged a few steps to catch up and spoke cautiously from their side.
Zhao Jingyu glanced at him and said casually,
"This place is a barren shithole. If not for the Fire Lacquer Stone, what other reason would we have to come here?"
The boy quickly replied,
"If you need the stone, I can help you, Immortals!"
Zhao Jingyu yawned.
"With those pebbles in your hand?"
"Those are just useless rocks you picked up from around here."
To be honest, he really looked down on this kid.
’Even though the mines were somewhat dangerous, the miners still had to go down and work. Not like this kid, who only dared to scavenge outside.’
’The key thing was his shamelessness, trying to trade those scraps for money.’
The boy wrapped his pebbles in a cloth bag and slung it over his back.
"This is just how I make a living! Of course I wouldn’t use this stuff to fob you Immortals off!"
A look of pride appeared on his face.
"To be honest with you, my maternal grandfather is a Duke of the Fire Cave Dynasty, one of only two who are still left."
"A few Fire Lacquer Stones are nothing. I can get them. Just tell me how many you need, Immortals!"
Wan Shenxiu stopped Zhao Jingyu before he could speak and finally opened his mouth,
"Fire Lacquer Stone is a critical resource in wartime. Your grandfather can get his hands on it? I heard your branch of the family has lost its influence."
"Besides, given who we are, how would he dare sell Fire Lacquer Stone to us?"
The boy’s eyes darted about.
"Observing your speech and behavior, Immortals, you are definitely not from a small place like this."
"The so-called ’righteous warriors’ on the front lines are mostly bandits, brutes, or commoners. They could never develop an air like yours."
"Are you from an external Immortal Sect?"
Zhao Jingyu couldn’t help but nod.
"You’ve got a sharp eye, kid."
Upon receiving confirmation, the boy’s eyes lit up. Then he heard Bai Mo speak.
"We are disciples of the Xuandao Sect, here in response to the Fire Cave Dynasty’s request for aid."
Zhao Jingyu was startled. "Junior Brother, why did you reveal our identities?"
Before he could finish, he saw the boy drop to his knees in a deep bow, speaking earnestly,
"I beg you, Immortals, please uphold justice for us!"
He lifted his head to look at Bai Mo’s group. To him, the word "benefactor" was practically written across their foreheads.
’I came out today just to take a shot in the dark, to see if I could scrounge up some money.’
’I never imagined I’d run into three great benefactors!’
Zhao Jingyu glanced around.
"The three of us were supposed to be traveling incognito. Now that Junior Brother has exposed us, we might as well just silence him..."
The boy was horrified. "How could you say that!?"
He snapped his head up to look at Bai Mo and Wan Shenxiu.
Bai Mo and Wan Shenxiu exchanged a glance, ignoring Zhao Jingyu completely.
"Uphold justice?" Bai Mo began slowly.
"How is it that I’ve heard the Fire Cave Dynasty’s royal court no longer seems to favor our sect?"
"If the rebels weren’t at your gates, I doubt you would have even been willing to send that letter requesting aid."
The boy froze.
’All the members of the royal family knew about this. Though they didn’t understand why, they never said much about it.’
’After all, for so many years, they had seen very little aid from the Xuandao Sect.’
’He never expected the backlash to come so quickly.’
"There must be something strange about this matter!"
the boy argued, forcing himself to speak.
"But the inside story isn’t known to ordinary people."
"I can take you Immortals to my grandfather. You can ask him!"
