CH 12

Chapter 12 – You Seriously Won’t Turn Around?

Profound Law Xiantian

The procession finally entered the Juying Palance, where it slowly came to a stop in the center of the plaza.

The people of the Xu Clan filed out to greet them, and Xu Qinying took the lead, “The Xu Clan of the Ruyang Region respectfully welcomes the Envoy. Long live His Majesty the Prince!”

The Xu Clan all gave their most respectful greetings in unison.

The white-clothed youth at the front dismounted his horse. “At ease.”

After that, he turned around to open the curtain of the first horse-drawn carriage and respectfully extended his hand in an inviting gesture.

A middle-aged person wearing a luxurious robe stepped down from the carriage, sweeping his eyes over the people of the Xu Clan. With a smile, he asked, “Where is the Great Elder of the Xu Clan, Xu Qinying?”

Xu Qinying stepped forward and said, “I am Xu Qinying, the eighth generation grandson of Xu Kunyu. Respectful greetings to the Envoy.”

“En, you may be at ease,” the extravagant-looking middle-aged man lightly waved his hand, then ran his eyes over the crowd. “Where is the child who is suspected to have Upper Third Dao Channels?”

Xu Qinying glanced behind him, and Xu Disheng stepped forward. “Xu Disheng respectfully greets the Envoy,” he said with a salute.

“Good,” the luxurious middle-aged person nodded slightly, and said to the white-robed youth beside him, “Take it out.”

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The white-robed youth’s identity was clearly not ordinary, but in front of this middle-aged man, he had to be sincere and polite. He took out an ancient mirror from his chest pocket and very carefully handed it over to the middle-aged Envoy.

This Envoy had a gentle expression while handing the mirror to Xu Disheng. “Drip a drop of blood on this mirror,” the Envoy instructed.

Xu Disheng received the ancient mirror. He looked to his sides, but none of the people from the Xu Clan had brought any weapons with them. He lifted his head and asked the white-robed youth, “Can I borrow a dagger?”

The white-robed youth raised his eyebrows, not expecting this situation. “This child is truly interesting… You must know that I am…”

His words trailed off when the Envoy shot him a glance. The youth immediately shut his mouth, and he removed his dagger from his waist and tossed it to Xu Disheng.

This toss had some strength behind it, and he didn’t think a mere 5 year old boy would be able to receive this throw. But he totally didn’t expect the boy to simply just reach out a hand and firmly grasp the dagger in his hand. The white-robed youth looked shocked for a moment, and there was a slight shift in his gaze.

Xu Disheng gave a word of thanks and didn’t spare him another glance, then pulled out the dagger. The dagger reflected a blindingly brilliant sheen, and at a quick glance it was clear that it was an incredibly sharp Spiritual Weapon. It didn’t quite reach the level of a Martial Treasure, but it was not that far off.

Xu Disheng used it to lightly prick his fingertip, allowing a drop of blood to fall upon the ancient mirror. He looked up at the Envoy, who nodded at him in response. Xu Disheng then returned the dagger to its sheath and returned it to the white-robed youth.

All of the onlookers from the Xu Clan could see the ancient mirror, but none of them knew what it was for. It was only Xu Qinying that knew that all of this was done to confirm Xu Disheng’s aptitude.

It was unknown to him what rank this ancient mirror was exactly, but judging by how carefully that youth was handling it, it was clear that it was a mysterious treasure that was a lot more precious than the Dao Channel Measurement Platform.

At first, the ancient mirror had no reaction. But once the drop of blood completely permeated the surface, it suddenly began to shine brightly with a blood-colored light. After a short moment, the radiance faded, and two blood-colored characters formed in the air above the surface of the mirror.

“Profound!”

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“Two!”

“Grade 2 Profound Meridians!” the white-robed youth cried out in alarm, his formerly unperturbed demeanor changing drastically.

The Envoy wearing the luxurious robes was momentarily astonished. The results of this measurement were completely beyond his expectations.

Xu Qinying, Xu Chaoyang, and everyone else did not know what Grade 2 Profound Meridians meant. Their bodies trembled upon hearing the words ‘Grade 2’, and they were left completely speechless.

“Grade 2! Our Xu Clan actually produced such a proud son of heaven,” Xu Qinying muttered to himself.

Within the crowd, Xu Qingcheng was standing there in a white dress. She was biting her lips as she stared at the boy who was currently the center of so many people’s attention.

At the back of the procession, the curtains of the second carriage were lifted, and a middle-aged monk in light green Daoist robes stepped upon the back of a servant and descended from the carriage.

His expression was indifferent as he strode up to the crowd. He reached out his hand, and that ancient mirror surprisingly flew straight to his outstretched hand. He looked down at the two blood-colored characters that were by now gradually scattering, and he nodded his head lightly. A trace of a smile leaked through his apathetic expression. “I only went to the Guo Clan to return a favor, but this time it seems there is a pleasant surprise.”

When the luxuriously-dressed middle-aged man and the white-robed youth saw the monk, they neatly bowed and paid their respects.

When the people of the Xu Clan saw this, they followed suit in bowing deferentially, even though they did not know who this monk was.

Monstrous waves crashed within Xu Qinying’s mind. “A Xiantian! This monk must be a Xiantian! His aura is as deep as the sea, this is the unstoppable power of a Xiantian!”

“At ease,” the middle-aged monk said lightly. Although his voice was quiet, it resonated throughout the entire plaza of the Juying Palace. “You take care of the rest,” the monk instructed the Envoy.

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“Yes, Daoist Monarch.”

The middle-aged monk glanced at Xu Disheng, then turned around and headed back to the horse-drawn carriage. Sending a direct voice transmission to him, the monk said, “Come with me.”

Xu Disheng turned and looked back at Xu Xiao, Xu Qinying, and his mother, Jin Yu. He also looked at Xu Chaoyang, Xu Qian, his father’s wives, and even returned the gaze of Xu Qingcheng, who had been staring fixedly at him the whole time. Everyone had different expressions, with various complex emotions flashing in their eyes.

Xu Disheng felt a bit emotional inside, but he revolved his Soul Force to suppress his turbulent emotions. He proceeded to follow the middle-aged monk onto the carriage, and didn’t look back again.

“I am Zhang Kemu, the Inspector of the 19 Regions in the You Province, appointed by none other than His Majesty the Crown Prince. I govern the Ministry of Supervision of You Province, which is in charge of patrolling and inspecting the 19 Regions in the You Province,” the Envoy said, finally introducing himself. With a smile, he continued, “This time, someone suspected to have Upper Third Dao Channels appeared, and His Majesty the Crown Prince attached great importance to this matter, which is why I came personally. But we never expected that it was actually the rarely-seen Grade 2 Profound Meridians, and he even managed to catch the eye of Daoist Monarch Qingxin. Brother Xu, congratulations.”

This Zhang Kemu was only a Houtian martial artist, but he served in an incredibly high position. There was an extraordinary bearing in his every word and action.

Xu Qinying watched Xu Disheng board the horse-drawn carriage, and a complicated expression crossed his face. He asked, “Lord Zhang, what are Grade 2 Profound Meridians?”

Zhang Kemu momentarily had a blank expression, but he suddenly seemed to have recalled something shortly after. With a smile, he responded, “It was my oversight. I forgot that this place is remote and poor, so it’s only natural to not know what Profound Meridians are. Upper Third Dao Channels are extremely rare, and you can count the number that exist in the entire You Province on one hand. Once it reaches the top 3 Grades, it is no longer referred to as Dao Channels. It is instead called Profound Meridians, and they can join the Shangqing Path to cultivate Profound Laws!”

After he spoke to this point, there was a trace of longing in Zhang Kemu’s eyes. Clearly, even though he had a high status, he wasn’t someone who possessed Upper Third Profound Meridians.

“Just now, that Daoist Monarch was Daoist Monarch Qingxin, one of the three Daoist Monarchs of the Shangqing Dao Palace in the You Province. As a peak stage Profound Law Xiantian and the Martial Uncle of His Majesty the Crown Prince, his status is incredibly high,” Zheng Kemu explained. “Our visit to the Ruyang Region this time was only to return a favor to the Guo Clan. The old ancestor of the Guo Clan, Guo Nansu, had been at the half-step to Xiantian stage for many years, and he was just lacking that final spurt. This time, he used a favor that was owed to an ancestor of his from a hundred years ago, and managed to invite Daoist Monarch Qingxin to help him break through to the Xiantian stage.”

“Guo Nansu?” The people of the Xu Clan exchanged glances, but none of them seemed to have any impression of this person.

Xu Qinying replied with alarm, “The Guo Clan’s current old ancestor, Guo Nansu, has already broken through to the Xiantian stage?” Once he reached the second half of his sentence, he could no longer hide the shock on his face.

“Brother Xu, you don’t need to be too worried about this. After a few days, the Guo Clan’s appointed title will be demoted. Although Guo Nansu did break through to the Xiantian stage, the Guo Clan will still be relocated to the Lin’an Region.”

The Lin’an Region was located in the heart of the northern part of the You Province, covering a radius of a little over 2000 li. It was the first or second largest Region in You Province, and was over 10 times more rich and fertile than the Ruyang Region.

“So that’s how it is. He achieved the Xiantian stage, and now that his rank is exceedingly high, he couldn’t stand to be relocated to this Ruyang Region?” Xu Qinying had already received numerous shocks from the news in such a short period of time that it was hard for him to maintain his composure. However, he was still the Great Elder of a clan, so he managed to quickly collect himself. “Thank you for clarifying this, Lord Zhang. I have another question. Your Excellency gave a general overview of the inspection of the 19 Regions earlier, but why is it that we have not been graced by the presence of the Inspector Envoy for more than 200 years…?”

A little embarrassed, Zhang Kemu replied, “The Ruyang Region… is located in such a remote corner, and is relatively barren. It can’t compare to the other regional cities. But when we return to the You Province this time, I am determined to send someone to take up permanent residence here in Ruyang Region. Come, Brother Xu, let me introduce you to someone.”

He pulled over the white-robed youth and said, “This is my nephew, Zhang Shichuan, the second son of the Crown Prince.”

“Greetings, Your Excellency.” The people of the Xu Clan never thought that the status of this person would be this high, and they all bowed their heads in succession.

Xu Qinying noticed that he used the word ‘nephew’1. This Zhang Kemu was actually the clan brother of the Crown Prince?

But judging from Zhang Kemu’s demeanor, he was probably born of a concubine, so his status was not nearly as high as that of the Prince. Prince Xing had several dozens of sons, over a hundred nephews, and even more illegitimate sons, which was considered to be common among royalty. However, seeing that this second son had to be so respectful to him meant that Zhang Kemu had a certain level of status.

Zhang Kemu saw that Xu Chaoyang and most of the upper class of the Xu Clan were still stuck on the fact that a Xiantian martial artist had appeared in the Guo Clan, and were about to be relocated to the Lin’an Region, and that they had still yet to regain their composure. He once again looked towards Xu Qinying and said with a smile, “Brother Xu, at first we thought that at most it would be someone with Grade 3 Profound Meridians, but the Crown Prince still placed great importance on the matter. We didn’t expect it to actually be Grade 2 Profound Meridians. I hereby extend my sincere congratulations to you.”

Seeing that the people from the Xu Clan were casting him rather dubious glances, he continued, “Brother Xu probably isn’t aware of the weight of Grade 2 Profound Meridians. There are only 9 of these kinds of people in the entirety of You Province’s Shangqing Dao Palace. There are the three Dao Monarchs, and then 6 cultivators of profound energy, of which the majority have Grade 3 Profound Meridians. Only one has Grade 2 Profound Meridians.”

The second son of the Crown Prince, Zhang Shichuan, followed up saying, “If all goes well, that child will enter the Shangqing Dao Palace, and the Xu Clan’s status will rise along with him. I surmise that in the coming days, the Xu Clan should receive conferral of control over the Ruyang Region, and be granted generous rewards.”

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Footnotes

The word ‘nephew’ here is 内侄, which refers specifically to the wife’s brother’s son.