Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty-Four: Confusing and Mysterious

"Brother Li, the Fifth Chancellor didn’t say things this way at the time," the leader of the black-clothed men chuckled and said, "We support you in overthrowing Wuyun Liang and eliminating your enemies, taking sole control of the Tianwailou; and we will list your sect as a court-supplied sect. The disciples under Brother Li can enter the court as officials, bringing glory to your ancestors, and the Chancellor will strongly support you!"

He laughed lowly, "Such a great benefit, even the leader of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, Xuanyuan, would be tempted! And you, do you think that providing just one or two pieces of information can exchange for a lifetime of endless glory and wealth?"

Li Jinsong was furious and roared, "My family's lives are in your hands, so what are you talking about glory and wealth for?"

The man sneered, "But Brother Li, the thing you want... hehe, you should know how important that thing is!"

Li Jinsong snorted and said, "I can go to the capital and find the Fifth Chancellor. I can put this matter aside for now." His tone was unusually resolute.

The black-clothed man pondered for a moment and finally softened, "Alright, Brother Li, to be honest, the thousand-year-old crystal lingzhi you want is extremely hard to find. The Chancellor has already dispatched eighteen teams to search for it in various places. Once found, it will be immediately sent to you."

He chuckled, "The Chancellor knows that what you are most anxious about right now is this, right? Brother Li, you are truly a man of deep affection. But such a heavenly treasure is rare and hard to come by. Brother Li, you must have patience."

Li Jinsong snorted and said angrily, "I can wait, even a hundred years. But my wife cannot wait; she is waiting for this thing to save her life!"

"Of course, of course. So although the Fifth Chancellor did not bring the thousand-year-old crystal lingzhi, he did bring the Three Lives Pill," the black-clothed man chuckled, "Three of them!"

Li Jinsong suddenly looked up, "Really?"

Not just him, even Chu Yang, who was eavesdropping, felt a sudden surge of excitement. The Three Lives Pill! The thousand-year-old crystal lingzhi! These are things that are hard to come by; what does Li Jinsong need them for?

The Three Lives Pill is not a pill but a peculiar fruit. The plant sprouts and grows branches in the first season, withers after ten years, sprouts and grows branches again after twenty years, grows for fifty years to become a small tree, withers and rots, and then sprouts again after another fifty years. It takes two hundred years to form a mature plant, blooms for a season with highly toxic flowers, and then produces this fruit, the Three Lives Pill!

After the fruit matures, it is the size of an apricot, and the plant immediately withers, never to sprout again.

Three cycles of withering and flourishing, three hundred and thirty years, to produce one fruit. The preciousness of this fruit is evident. Its effects are excellent, curing serious illnesses, treating fatal conditions, healing severe injuries, nurturing vital energy, and extending life!

As for the thousand-year-old crystal lingzhi, it is even more legendary, ranking among the nine great medicines in the world! Its specific effects can bring the dead back to life and heal bones, but Chu Yang doesn't know the exact effects.

But these two miraculous medicines are related to treating illnesses. Could it be that Li Jinsong's wife is sick?

This Fifth Chancellor is indeed generous, giving Li Jinsong three Three Lives Pills at once!

"These three Three Lives Pills can ensure that your wife will be safe for three years!" A black jade box appeared in the black-clothed man's hand, "The Fifth Chancellor has instructed me to tell you that if the crystal lingzhi is not found after three years, he will give you another compensation!"

He emphasized, "The Fifth Chancellor clearly instructed me not to deceive you on this matter! The Chancellor said, although we are working together for mutual benefit, mutual honesty is the first priority! These are the Chancellor's own words."

Li Jinsong lowered his head, silent for a moment, and said softly, "Thank you for the Chancellor's honesty. Li Jinsong understands!"

He kept his head down, the sky was dark, and his expression was indiscernible; but Chu Yang, hiding behind the large rock, sneered inwardly. The Fifth Chancellor's words sound good, but just from Li Jinsong's words, "Even my family's lives are in your hands, so what are you talking about glory and wealth?" it is clear.

Li Jinsong is indeed tempted by profit, but he is not doing this willingly; he is under a certain degree of coercion.

For the person coercing him to talk about honesty, if Li Jinsong really believed it, he would be the biggest fool in the world!

"The Three Lives Pill is extremely precious. You must keep it well. Store it in this black jade box, and do not open it unless necessary. Each time you open it, the Three Lives Pill's heavenly energy decreases."

The black-clothed man said solemnly, "We must report the matter of Tielun to the Fifth Chancellor as soon as possible. The Chancellor will likely have plans. Brother Li, we will take our leave!"

Li Jinsong clasped his hands, "No need to see you off." He already tightly held the black jade box in his arms.

The three black-clothed men had been gone for a long time, but Li Jinsong still stood there, sighing softly after a while, and then walked back, his figure soon disappearing into the darkness.

Chu Yang remained motionless behind the large rock, not even changing his breathing.

Sure enough, the sound of the wind rang out, and Li Jinsong's figure reappeared in the area, circling around to ensure no one was eavesdropping, and then he leaped away.

Finally gone. Chu Yang felt a sigh of relief in his heart. He knew that the secret he had overheard today was absolutely crucial to the survival of Tianwailou! If he were discovered, escaping would be almost impossible!

He had to be cautious!

No one would have thought that the traitor within Tianwailou was actually the second-in-command, the powerful Li Jinsong!

Chu Yang was about to stand up to stretch his almost stiff limbs when he suddenly tensed, quietly raising his head to look at the area.

In the area where the four people had been talking, a black-clothed figure had silently appeared!

Chu Yang's scalp tingled; he hadn't even noticed when this person arrived!

This person was dressed in black, tall and slender, standing in the area without moving for a long time. After a while, he suddenly sighed deeply and said calmly, "Chu Yang, come out."

Chu Yang's scalp tingled even more; his arrival had been seen by this person! And he recognized him!

At this point, trying to leave would be too late. Moreover, this person's tone didn't seem malicious. Chu Yang steeled himself, stood up, and walked forward step by step.

"Did you hear everything?" The man had his hands behind his back, facing away from Chu Yang, and said leisurely.

"Yes, did you hear everything too? Probably even more clearly than I did?" Chu Yang smiled faintly, squinting his eyes, and asked in return.

The man let out a low laugh and slowly turned around.

The darkest part of the night had passed, and the sky was gradually becoming hazy. The faint starlight in the sky illuminated this person's face. Three strands of black beard hung on his chest, his face was square and stern, and he had a natural air of authority.

Chu Yang saw him and was even more shocked, almost speechless.

This person was actually the current master of Tianwailou, Wuyun Liang!

Why was he here? Since he was here, he must know about Li Jinsong's plot, so why didn't he stop it? Chu Yang's mind was filled with doubts. He felt confused, and even with his two lifetimes of experience, he couldn't figure out the complex relationships involved. He couldn't understand what was going on.

"Follow me." Wuyun Liang looked at the gradually brightening sky, suddenly reached out to grab Chu Yang's sleeve, and pulled him, running and turning, into a mountain hollow not far from the Purple Bamboo Garden.

This mountain hollow, though not very remote, was quite desolate. Since there was nothing inside, Chu Yang and the others rarely came here.

Here, there was a collapsed area on the mountain wall, forming a natural cave, less than two zhang deep.

"Come in." Wuyun Liang went in first.