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Monk Hongji took a deep breath, his expression suddenly serious. “Young Lord Su, are you perhaps interested in joining the Ten Directions Pavilion?”
Before Su Yi could respond, the monk smiled obsequiously and continued, “If you join us, we’ll promote you directly to the rank of ‘elder’, and you’ll oversee the matters of an entire nation. In addition, every month, you’ll receive one hundred tier-four spirit stones, fifty stalks of tier-four spiritual medicine, and….”
The words poured out non-stop as he listed the enormous benefits of joining up.
It was no exaggeration to say that these conditions were enticing enough to tempt even Earthly Immortals.
More importantly, upon becoming an elder of the Ten Directions Pavilion, you could trade your accumulated merit for the organization’s highest level of secret intelligence!
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But Su Yi wasn’t at all moved. He said without the slightest ripple of surprise, “Why are you suddenly inviting me to join you?”
The monk suddenly felt awkward. “I won’t lie to you; I’m here on orders. Hm… This was our boss’s decision. Boss is the leader of the Ten Directions Pavilion’s Great Zhou branch, as well as the head of we seven elders.”
“It was your chief elder’s idea?” Su Yi was instantly a bit surprised.
Monk Hongji explained, “She’s our chief elder within the Great Zhou. We have seven elders in each of the nations we operate in.”
“Oh?” said Su Yi. “And here I thought the position of elder was rare. To think there were so many of you in each empire!”
The monk’s expression froze. Had anyone else dared say something like that, he would’ve swept his sleeves and left in disdain.
Who beneath the heavens dared look down on the elders of the Ten Directions Pavilion?
Even Earthly Immortals had to treat them with courtesy!
But this was Su Yi; he dared not lose his temper. He could only smile bitterly and say, “Young Lord Su, the position of elder isn’t as paltry as you imagine. For example, were I to appear in the Jade Capital, the heads of the various prominent families would greet me with respect. Even the current emperor would honor me as a distinguished guest….”
Su Yi waved and cut him off. “Say no more. Even if you promised me the heavens, I wouldn’t be interested. It’s not because I hold you in contempt, but because I’ve always been lazy; I don’t tolerate others ordering me around.”
After a brief, stunned pause, Hongji seemed relieved, as if a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “As expected. I knew a peerless figure such as yourself wouldn’t accept our offer.”
He paused, then smiled, “Young Lord Su, Boss said that if you refused, I should ask if you were willing to create good karma between yourself and our Ten Directions Pavilion.”
“Good karma?” This time, Su Yi looked somewhat interested. “Let’s hear it.”
The monk cleared his throat, then said solemnly, “Young Lord Su, the Ten Directions Pavilion would like to cooperate with you long term. If there’s information you’re interested in, so long as we have it, we’ll offer it to you, free of charge.”
He paused, then continued, “If we have business we’d like assistance with, we’ll request that you aid us when convenient. Of course, you’re welcome to refuse. In summary, whether you help or not is up to you and your mood; we absolutely will not push. Should you agree to assist us, we’ll naturally reward you generously!”
When he heard this, Su Yi said thoughtfully, “That sounds quite good!”
“That’s why I called it establishing good karma,” laughed Monk Hongji. “The chief elder said that we have to be candid with a figure such as yourself, and that we must offer our utmost sincerity if we’re to successfully establish a positive relationship.”
“That’s rather interesting.” Su yi laughed too. “This chief elder of yours is quite something.”
The monk coughed dryly. “I won’t hide this from you: the chief elder is indeed quite something; she’s in the prime of her youth, as well as a peerless, elegant beauty. She’s beautiful on the outside and clever on the inside, a woman like a celestial immortal! You might not know this, but her beauty is enough to topple cities and even entire nations, and turn the masses upside-down…”
As soon as he got started on this topic, the fat, greasy monk started brimming over with enthusiasm, and the words came out in an unceasing torrent.
Su Yi, meanwhile, was a bit stunned. Who… Who praises others like that?
He subconsciously looked around, then said thoughtfully, “Don’t tell me… are there Swiftlight Sparrows nearby?”
The monk busy extolling his leader’s praises froze, then rubbed his hands together awkwardly. “That… Young Lord Su, you’ve got good eyes!”
Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh.
The monk obviously feared the chief elder. He was so afraid that he dared not utter a single word or make a single movement out of turn.
“Uh….” Monk Hongji thought for a moment, then rummaged through his sleeves and took out a stack of jade talismans, which he offered with both hands. “Young Lord Su, I brought some secret intelligence involving you. If you look inside, you’ll understand.”
Su Yi accepted the jade talismans. Their materials were extraordinary; all were made of Spiritgreen Nephrite, a material extremely easy to carve information into.
“On the seventh day of the fourth lunar month, diplomatic missions from the Great Qin and Great Wei arrived in the Great Zhou’s Jade Capital. The Great Qin’s delegation was led by Shanglin Temple’s Lonely River, the chief elder of the Arhat Hall, while the Great Wei’s delegation was under the leadership of the high elder of the Wheel of the Moon Sect, Yun Zhongqi. Both are long-established cultivators of the Grain Avoidance Realm.
“Both parties include several members with unusual statuses…”
This was only the first piece of news, but it already piqued Su Yi’s interest. “Are these two diplomatic missions here because of me?”
Monk Hongji said hurriedly, “Young Lord Su, you might not know this, but your reputation has already spread to the Great Qin and Great Wei. Your name is known to cultivators of both nations. Add that to your recent conflicts with the Wheel of the Moon Sect and Shanglin Temple, and…”
Su Yi instantly understood. “Are they here for revenge?”
The monk winked. “No, it’s more likely that they’re targeting your good fortune.”
“Good fortune?” Su Yi laughed dryly, but he couldn’t be bothered to pay this matter any further heed. He took the second talisman and examined it briefly.
“The Hiddensky Sect’s grand elder, the Pomegranate Flame Monarch, has three disciples. One, Ran Chongyang, entered the Great Zhou on the ninth and met with Skywalk Academy’s palace master, Wang Zhuo. That very night, Ran Chongyang set out, heading north. We suspect he’s headed to the Jade Capital.”
When he saw this, Su Yi couldn’t help but feel stunned. They’ve come for me this quickly?”
He still remembered the fourth. It was on that very rainy night that he defeated Wang Zhuo at Dragonbridge Station, then slew the wisp of the Pomegranate Flame Monarch’s soul hiding in his black civet.
Only five or six days had passed since then, but the so-called Pomegranate Flame Monarch had already sent her people to the Great Zhou; she was obviously looking to get even with him.
“Does your Ten Directions Pavilion know of the Hiddensky Sect?” asked Su Yi.
He once heard Wang Zhuo say that although the Hiddensky Sect’s forces were distributed throughout the Great Qin, it was highly likely that they originated from the Great Xia.
And he suspected that the Pomegranate Flame Monarch was one of the Great Xia’s Spirit Dao cultivators!
“We know of it, but our understanding is very limited.” A solemn look rose on the monk’s face. “This faction is from the Great Xia, and as I’m sure you’re well aware, the Great Xia is the unquestioned hegemon of the continent. Their national power is flourishing, and cultivation factions are as numerous as the clouds. The Great Zhou, Great Wei, and Great Qin are all tiny by comparison. The difference in accumulated knowledge and resources is enormous.
He paused, then continued, “And the Hiddensky Sect is a cultivation faction of the Great Xia. All we know is that their ranks include mighty cultivators of the Spirit Dao, and that they possess numerous ancient legacies. They’re mysterious and terrifying to the extreme.
“The Pomegranate Flame Monarch is a woman. About twenty years ago, she appeared within the Great Qin’s borders, and she’s explored its strange and unusual territories ever since. She’s especially interested in anything related to other worlds.”
Having said all this, Monk Hongji sighed. “Alas, despite the Ten Directions Pavilion’s best attempts to investigate, we’ve yet to determine her bottom line. All we know is that she has three legacy disciples, and that each of them is already an Earthly Immortal. For instance, Ran Chongyang is in the Grain Avoidance Realm.”
When he heard this, Su Yi said, “So you’re saying that even now, you don’t know that the Pomegranate Flame Monarch is indeed a Spirit Dao cultivator?”
The monk’s entire body went rigid, and he couldn’t help but blurt, “She really is one!?”
A moment later, he realized he’d slipped up, and he said sheepishly, “Young Lord Su, pardon me. We suspected that that might be the case, but we couldn’t confirm it. After all, who would guess that someone terrifying beyond limit would show up in the Great Qin?”
Even Spirit Dao cultivators are worth describing as ‘terrifying beyond limit’? Su Yi smiled but said no more. He moved on to the third jade talisman.
“On the ninth, the vice sect leader of the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect, Shi Fengliu, appeared in the Jade Capital and met with State Preceptor Hong Shenshang…”
When he saw this information, Su Yi’s eyebrows shot up. “Is this Shi Fengliu after me too?”
The monk explained at top speed, “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten? Just a few days ago, deep within Treasure Temple Yao Mountain, you slew Lu Dongliu, Li Cang, and Liao Yunliu. The three of them were targeting you on Shi Fengliu’s orders.”
He paused, then continued, “Speaking of Shi Fengliu, he’s a highly unusual figure. Years ago, he was just an ordinary, unexceptional school teacher, and he knew nothing of cultivation. He didn’t even qualify as a martial artist.
“But according to rumor, once, after strolling through the mountain, he obtained a grand stroke of fortune. Afterward, he took less than six months to become a Grandmaster. Three months later, he entered the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect to cultivate.
“It’s like he achieved enlightenment; ever since, his cultivation has grown by leaps and bounds, and his status has risen along with it. Now, only ten years have passed, but he’s already the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect’s vice sect master, and he has mighty Grain Avoidance Realm cultivation.”
As he said this, a strange look arose on Monk Hongji’s plump cheeks. “Our Ten Directions Pavilion has investigated Shi Fengliu. As a result, we discovered that back then, he obtained his grand stroke of fortune on Green Ivy Yao Mountain!”
The strange look on his face intensified. “That’s why we suspect that Shi Fengliu is actually a….”
Suddenly, he clamped his mouth shut.
Even within the Ten Directions Pavilion, this was top secret. After all, it involved the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect’s vice sect leader; not even the Ten Directions Pavilion would reveal it lightly.
“Trying to hide it only makes it more conspicuous,” Su Yi laughed dryly. “Weren’t you just about to say that you suspect that Shi Fengliu has been possessed?”
Monk Hongji hurriedly waved his hands. “Young Lord Su, I said no such thing. Later, no matter who asks, I won’t admit to having said that!”
Su Yi had no desire to linger on this topic, so he just continued to the next jade talisman.
When he saw its contents, even he was startled.