“Oh, I see,” said Fan Wentai, as he stood up, after listening to Duan Chaoyong’s fragmented account.
“This thoughtfulness is indeed quite rare. Just the fact that you managed to locate the position of the precious tripod and came up with the method to control objects to capture the tripod and transform talismans to conceal it shows that you have put considerable effort into cultivating your skills,” commented Fan Wentai, nodding repeatedly as he spoke.
Originally, after Duan Chaoyong returned to the mountains with Fan Wentai, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to finding the exact location where the tripod was placed. However, the challenge of retrieving the tripod without Fan Wentai’s knowledge proved to be extremely difficult.
This was also due to some special circumstances; because Fan Wentai did not absorb the tripod into his body, it gave Duan Chao a slight opportunity to take advantage.
It wasn’t until just before the battle at Yumu Cliff that Duan Chaoyong finally got the chance. Using the Five Ghosts Transportation Technique he had cultivated himself, he stole out the small cauldron. However, instead of bringing it back to his own side, he merely hid the cauldron outside.
The reason why Duan Chaoyong dared to act at this moment was because he detected a hint of conspiracy from the rumors spread by Shao Yuanjie and Tao Zhongwen, which claimed that Zhang Yuchong was planning to cause trouble. Duan Chaoyong was almost certain that Shao and Tao must have been preparing to take action against Fan Wentai, which explained why they acted this way.
If those two succeed, no one will ever know about my theft of the tripod. If they fail, Fan Wentai will suspect their involvement in the loss of the tripod, and would not suspect me at all.
At that time, Fan Wentai had not been acting normally; his temperament and disposition had undergone a drastic change, leading him to overlook the abnormalities in the situation. In the end, just as Duan Chaoyong had anticipated, Fan Wentai and Zhang Yuchong destroyed each other. Duan Chaoyong, having taken precautions beforehand, wasn’t seriously injured, but he pretended to be wounded and fled. After retrieving the small tripod, he disappeared into the distance.
This cauldron, however, was quite difficult to refine, so Duan Chaoyong had no choice but to assign his subordinates to conduct imitation experiments while simultaneously using the cauldron itself to refine various puppets. Originally possessing the essence of growth and vitality, the cauldron was indeed suitable for this purpose. But later, for some unknown reason, his incompetent subordinates somehow managed to lose the cauldron despite all the protective measures in place.
“It must have been my own teaching that introduced you to the Five Ghosts Moving Technique,” Fan Wentai said, shaking his head. “I noticed you always had a fondness for the art of controlling objects, so I specifically taught you this method. I never expected you’d turn it against me. However… I suspect you must have had some family training before you followed me, right? Observing your recent techniques, they’re all derived from object manipulation, yet they differ from the usual puppet techniques seen in orthodox schools. As far as I know, only the Maoshan Sect from Shangqing once practiced such methods. However, because these techniques often strayed from proper paths, Maoshan sealed away these secret arts and forbade disciples from practicing them. Could it be… that you were actually sent by Maoshan?”
Duan Chaoyong was greatly alarmed and repeatedly cried out, “Master, please see clearly! Although your disciple has indeed committed some mistakes, it was merely a momentary lapse in judgment. How could I possibly be a spy sent by another sect? Moreover, if I truly were an infiltrator, after you, Master, left, why would I continue refining and preparing ritual tools all along without ever returning to my sect?”
“The human heart is the strangest thing. Back then, one might have wholeheartedly acted for the sake of the sect, but when the moment of opportunity suddenly arrived, it’s not strange that some things were suddenly forgotten.”
Fan Wentai spoke slowly, shaking his head, “Well, discussing this now is useless. No wonder I never sensed the tripod’s aura back in the capital, so I assumed you indeed had no involvement in the rebellion years ago. That’s why I recommended you to the emperor. It turns out you had placed the tripod elsewhere to secretly expand your power, while you yourself came to the capital. As for the Fragrant Sect, heh heh, relying on such heretical cults will never lead to success. However, your ability to think of using the tripod to forge nightmare spirits is indeed clever. Without hiding anything from you, the tripod’s nurturing ability is extremely useful. Although I must say, the few nightmare spirits you’ve created just now aren’t of great quality, for them to reach such a scale in only a dozen years is truly quite remarkable.”
Duan Chaoyong listened in silence, too afraid to utter a word, but his heart was filled with silent resentment. Just earlier, Fan Wentai had unexpectedly taken control of several of his Night Spirit Beasts, ordering them to launch chaotic attacks in all directions. Although this move blocked the advance of Zhang Yuchong and the others, it also resulted in the complete destruction of those Night Spirit Beasts, taking away Duan Chaoyong’s most important means of survival. Now, he was left completely at Fan Wentai’s mercy. Thinking back to the scene, Duan Chaoyong was nearly certain that Fan Wentai had seen the threat posed by those Night Spirit Beasts and had seized the opportunity to destroy them, so as to prevent him from relying on them for protection.
“Ah, so this is how you came by that cauldron,” Fan Wentai turned again to Mei Qing. “Given your current origins, it’s no wonder you’re especially sensitive to this cauldron, as there’s a deep connection between you two. I knew about your mission to Yongping, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine such an incredible coincidence—that my useless, good-for-nothing apprentice actually hid the cauldron in that very spot, and you just happened to come across it! Hehe, indeed, life is full of fate and karmic connections.”
Mei Qing pondered for a moment and then said, “This time when we went to the harbor, we also visited the Minghai and the Fish Bone Temple. The local customs are simple and honest. Although life there is a bit harsh, it’s still much better than the life of scheming and intrigue in the imperial court, or the double-dealing existence of cultivators.”
Fan Wentai nodded repeatedly, “Indeed, cultivators may seem to outsiders as if they are serene and non-contentious, with an appearance of ethereal grace and noble bearing. Yet in reality, at their core, they are no different from ordinary people when it comes to fighting and competing with each other—perhaps even a bit more sordid.”
Having said that, she laughed again and said, “Port? Actually, the place is no more than ten or so miles away from my home. I…”
Sister, I married into the Shi family in Gangli. But that was all over a hundred years ago. I wonder if the scenery and customs of my hometown are still the same. Hehe, if I hadn’t been so mischievous back then, suddenly deciding to sneak out in the middle of the night to row a boat to the Fish Bone Temple to seek immortals, I wouldn’t have had all these subsequent experiences.
After saying that, he sighed again and said, “Since you’ve mentioned the Minghai Sea and the Fish Bone Temple, you must have already regained your other half, hehe. Even if you’ve fully reunited now, I’m still not afraid. And…” He sneered at Mei Qing and asked, “You’ve been talking around the subject just now, actually testing me. If that’s the case, then those lost memories in your mind still haven’t returned, right?”
After saying that, Fan Wentai burst into hearty laughter.
Mei Qing shook her head and said, “I’ve always been Mei Qing. What does it matter to me whether Zhang Liusun’s things are lost or not?”
“I understand how you feel,” Fan Wentai said with a desolate expression. “Although when it comes to understanding the Yuan Shen (primordial spirit), there’s probably no one in the world who can rival my insight, there are still some things that are extremely difficult to explain. Take, for example, our situation back then when we coexisted within the same body—weren’t we both confused, unsure of who we were and uncertain about our own identities? I managed to break free and reclaim the beneficial aspects of my spirit, while you fell into a state of confusion and despair, which brought you to this point. Thinking back now, it’s not that you lacked ability; the human heart is simply too difficult to grasp.”
Mei Qing smiled and said, “You always assume that I’m merely surprised. If you truly believe that I am Zhang Liusun, then do you still have the confidence to defeat me?”
Fan Wentai nodded and said, “If this were another place and you were at your full strength, naturally I would have no confidence at all. However, from the fight just now against Zhuo Xiaoxian and Huang Guxu, I noticed that your cultivation hasn’t completely recovered. In fact, your final two strikes relied entirely on the magical treasures in your hands to secure victory. It seems you’ve only recently acquired this body and are still somewhat unclear about how to fully integrate and harmonize with it, thus you’re unable to display your full abilities. Moreover, haven’t you noticed that this place actually imposes certain constraints on one’s soul?”
“Restraint?” Mei Qing frowned, her spiritual sense gently struggling. It was only then that she realized where she was—actually within a magical formation.
As soon as she began her investigation, Mei Qing felt somewhat astonished. This formation was indeed vastly different from what she had seen before; it actually exerted an enormous binding effect on the soul of anyone within it.
“Oh, I see,” Mei Qing shook her head and smiled. “You must think that since my Yuan Shen has only just taken over this body and the integration is not yet stable, once I step into this formation, my mind will become unsettled and my true energy difficult to maintain. Therefore, I would certainly be no match for you, right?”
Fan Wentai laughed heartily and said, “Now you understand, right? Actually, when I drew you into my sleeve, it was quite unexpected that you managed to undo the restriction technique on your own. However, when you broke free, instead of immediately seizing the chance to fight back, you insisted on stabilizing yourself first and regaining your strength before dealing with me—that’s precisely when you fell right into my trap.”
Mei Qing gave a bitter smile and did not argue further, for in truth, Fan Wentai’s words held some merit. Indeed, the moment of awakening would have been the best opportunity to catch him off guard. However, there were two reasons why this wasn’t feasible. Firstly, Fan Wentai had misjudged his cultivation; Mei Qing was no Zhang Liusan. With his abilities, even an ambush might not guarantee injury to the opponent. Secondly, at that moment, Mei Qing himself was barely able to protect his own essence, his mind in chaos, focusing entirely on stabilizing his inner turmoil—there was no room in his thoughts to launch an attack against others.
Fan Wentai continued proudly, “Whether it’s Mei Qing or the True Man Zhang, the fact remains that although you now possess this ***, you cannot fully utilize its power. What’s the point? Over these years, I have gained considerable insights into the Yuan Shen and She Fu. Not long ago, I even created a secret technique that can rapidly strengthen one’s Yuan Shen and improve cultivation. If you hand over that precious tripod and offer me this physical body of yours, I will pass on all my insights and secret methods to you. How about that?”
Mei Qing said disdainfully, “Who gave you your cultivation skills back then? Now you dare to talk to me like this?”
“As the saying goes, ‘One may hear the Dao earlier or later, and skills have their own specializations,'” Fan Wentai said unconcernedly, “However, it is said that ‘the blue from the indigo plant surpasses the indigo itself.’ How could cultivators allow themselves to be bound by such conventions? Although I dare not boast about other cultivation techniques, when it comes to understanding and researching spirit projection and body possession, I am undoubtedly the best in the world. This matter will bring mutual benefits if handled cooperatively, but will result in mutual losses if met with opposition.”
Master Zhang, please think carefully.
“What if I refuse?”
Fan Wentai let out a long sigh and said, “Master Zhang is a clever man, but if he insists on doing something foolish, I’ll have no choice but to activate the magical formation, bind your soul, and forcibly separate your spirit from the treasure cauldron. Although this method will be quite troublesome and cause some damage to the cauldron—making its future reintegration more time-consuming—still, for me, it’s merely extra effort. As for you, Master Zhang, you’ll be left in a miserable state, neither able to live nor die!”
Mei Qing, however, shook her head and said, “That won’t do at all. If I hand over my physical body and the treasure tripod as you say, I’ll then have absolutely nothing left to rely on. If you go back on your word and refuse to set me free, wouldn’t I be in an even more miserable situation?”
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