Chapter 1421: Dispel the Clouds and See the Blue Sky, Cao's Daughter Dies Young, Cao Er Wilts

Again?

Is this ever going to end?

It's just "keys" and "keys" all over again... Why do I always end up as the one to break the game in every single situation?

All the pressure is on me, right?

Jin Ren's portrait clone twisted violently, almost dissipating on the spot.

Jin Ren himself was also on the verge of turning away, no longer wanting to continue the conversation.

He realized that not only was the name "Dao Qiong Cang" repulsive, but "Shou Ye" wasn't great either.

The key wasn't "Shou Ye."

It was the "Shou Ye" that Ba Zun An had mentioned!

"I don't..."

He felt like backing out, as his intuition screamed it was a trap, but then he reconsidered.

Who was it that, when trapped in prison, just once shouted "Xiang Yi, save me," and Shen then pulsed from Bai Hu to Zhu Que, sending Bei Huai flying with a single punch?

And who was it that, after escaping the Si Xiang Secret Realm, generously passed on "Ren Jian Dao" and "E Gui Dao," giving him the means to destroy Bei Huai's lingering soul?

"Debts of favor are so hard to repay!"

Jin Ren slapped his forehead, suddenly coming back to his senses. Why was he talking himself into this?

If it weren't for that damned Ba Zun An, sending him to approach Sheng Di Qilin, he wouldn't have gotten caught up in this mess.

Uh, Old Ba probably didn't know the full connections back then...

He himself had been a bit blinded by self-interest, wanting to lure Sheng Di Qilin into Tian Shang First Tower...

Most importantly, Tan Shen had clearly finished the rescue and could have left the world behind, but instead got carried away, eager to test Sheng Di's edge...

Recalling this, Jin Ren was startled.

"What the hell?"

"I could have left back then, so why did I push myself to exhaustion?"

Something felt off about all this...

Jin Ren thought it over carefully. Bei Huai's lingering soul was indeed repulsive, but not enough to drive him to risk his life for a showdown.

The scenes that Long Xing Zhi Ling had projected suddenly flooded into his mind.

He remembered that the location of Tian Ren Wu Sui seemed to be right where the Extreme Giant had stomped Beast Mountain to pieces— at the border between Qilin Jie and Zhong Yuan Jie?

Coincidence?

Or had Bei Huai, carrying Xue Shi Zhu... no, Xue Shi Zhu carrying him, been watching from outside the whole time?

Thinking back to the later stages of the battle, when Bei Huai's lingering soul grew increasingly frantic, attacking recklessly, and even escalated to the point of destroying all of Zhong Yuan Jie just to eliminate the Extreme Giant...

"No way?"

"Was Xue Shi Zhu's shadow involved in this?"

Jin Ren didn't know what to make of it. His irritation showed directly on the portrait clone— he half-rose, then slumped back onto the vine stool, fidgeting restlessly.

"What's wrong with Shou Ye?" Li Fugui asked, puzzled.

"Nothing, my butt's a bit itchy, but scratching it would be improper. Talking about it helps."

The past was the past.

Regardless of whether his suspicions were true, Jin Ren could only keep his guard up, reminding himself not to get too absorbed in watching his main body's fights in the future.

When he sensed something wrong, he needed to act as an outsider and warn the boss...

"But I was crying the whole time back then— what could I have warned about?"

"Besides, the info bar kept flashing 'under influence,' all from Bei Huai's abilities. How could anyone tell if the influence came from Xue Shi Zhu or Bei Huai?"

Whatever.

He'd just stay vigilant.

Whether it helped or not, he'd deal with that later.

If only this vigilance could turn into a passive skill that auto-alerted him... With that in mind, Jin Ren shifted in his seat and looked at the suddenly silent Li Fugui:

"Are you with Sheng Nu or Tian Shang First Tower?"

Seriously? A man can be killed but not humiliated— there's no way I can help with that itching... Li Fugui was stunned, then stood up and thumped his chest loudly:

"I, Fugui, in life am Shou Ye's man, in death am Shou Ye's spirit, and even in neither life nor death, I'm Shou Ye's devoted follower!"

"Good. Then Ba Zun An's words are just hot air— don't believe a single word of it."

"Uh, okay." So that's what you meant. That makes it easy.

"Repeat it."

"Uh? Me?" Li Fugui suddenly felt things getting complicated again. "Ba— Ba Zun An..."

"Don't call him '大人,' say 'that scoundrel' instead."

"Ba Zun An that scoundrel's words are pure nonsense, utterly foul!" Li Fugui went all in, spitting on the ground and stomping the air fiercely, his expression full of disdain.

"Good. Relax, there's no recording pearl here in my Tian Shang First Tower. That dog thief Ba Zun An will never hear your words— it's just between heaven, earth, you, and me."

"Meow." Tan Shen raised a paw from behind, indicating he hadn't eavesdropped.

"Jee?" Xiao Han chimed in, as if to say they were all on the same side.

Li Fugui's face turned green in an instant.

Shou Ye, I've gone this far— you can't mess with me now!

"Since you're with Tian Shang First Tower, from your perspective, should I step in to save Xiang Yao Yao?" Jin Ren asked.

Li Fugui took a deep breath and shook his head firmly: "Shou Ye, you absolutely cannot show yourself!"

You're really good at navigating this like walking on thin ice, but if I don't act, why did you come to Xing Jie... Jin Ren said "oh" and followed up: "Why not?"

"The Dao Dian Master is fully confident and has personally entered the scene, aiming to lure your injured self into a trap. Going there would be walking straight into the net, so you must not go."

"Hahaha." Jin Ren laughed three times. "You see it clearly, but do I fear that flashy old Daoist?"

"It's not about 'fearing,' it's about 'no need.'" Li Fugui spoke with conviction. "Shou Ye dares to fight Sheng Di, so what in the world is there to fear? But as the saying goes, 'A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall.' If you want to act, I urge you to think twice."

You're really skilled at the art of flattery... Jin Ren wished he could slip back into his main body to check if the info bar said "under the influence of flattery."

Listen to that rainbow of praise!

It's downright refreshing!

If Li Fugui doesn't rise to fame, it's against the natural order.

Who else should lead the Hua Cao Eighteen Orders if not you, Li Fugui?

Who else should be the chief strategist of Tian Shang First Tower if not you?

"That's well said. So, in your view, what's the value in that nonsense from Ba Zun An? Why does he dare claim I'm the key to breaking the game?" Jin Ren manipulated the portrait clone to lean back arrogantly, but the small wooden stool had no backrest, and he nearly toppled over.

Li Fugui quickly reached out to steady him.

The portrait clone was just a mass of spiritual energy— how could it actually fall?

Jin Ren decided it was a test, and Li Fugui had passed it, showing great loyalty.

"In my humble opinion, Shou Ye's skills are enough to rival Sheng Di, and your thinking is wildly creative. If you think it's possible, then it is. If I, Fugui, could guess even a fraction of your ideas, my achievements wouldn't stop where they are."

"Hahaha." Jin Ren couldn't hold back his smile and laughed three more times before turning serious, gazing toward the Crystal Palace. "But as you can see, my main body is still unconscious, and I'm just a strand of spiritual energy talking to you now. Taking action is impossible."

"Even in your dreams, Shou Ye can still harm others."

Fugui, that's a bit over the top... Jin Ren's mouth twitched. "Anything else?"

"That's all. I'm foolish and can only see that Shou Ye yourself are the key. For the rest, I ask for your guidance."

Jin Ren stopped joking around.

Ba Zun An's words might sound like nonsense.

But if he let Dao Qiong Cang get the upper hand that easily, he wouldn't deserve to be that legendary Eighth Sword Immortal.

Recalling what Ba Zun An had said when he woke up after receiving the Tian Zu inheritance on Void Island, Jin Ren had to admit:

Old schemer against old schemer— one is more farsighted than the last!

"Do you know about Qing Yuan Shan?" Jin Ren asked.

Li Fugui was startled, a flash of confusion in his eyes, but he quickly remembered something, his pupils narrowing slightly. "I've heard of it a little."

"Tell me."

Jin Ren didn't know the details, but that didn't stop him from testing again to get the answer.

Ba Zun An and Xiang Yi both spoke in riddles.

Li Fugui... heh, you probably don't have that luxury, right?

That so-called "peerless genius" that even Dao Qiong Cang feared and respected— surely it could come in handy now?

Li Fugui lowered his head, organizing his thoughts briefly, then laid out all the intelligence he had on those three words:

"Qing Yuan Shan is outside Yu Jing City, with beautiful scenery and simple folk."

"Unfortunately, the spiritual energy there is scarce, making it barely a low-grade refining site. Even the frequent beast disasters are mostly wild animals, with at most one or two spirit beasts."

"There, innate experts and masters are considered top-tier, and outsiders rarely go seeking opportunities at higher levels."

Pausing, Li Fugui straightened up, his tone growing serious:

"Qing Yuan Shan isn't famous, and the reason I know about it is because of a place at its base— several villages and towns, including one called Chang De Zhen."

"Chang De Zhen is a semi-mortal, semi-spiritual town with a sparse population and few refining masters. Most people live off the mountain, hunting wild beasts for a living."

"But what outsiders don't know is that Chang De Zhen has an important spot that was well-known in the refining world thirty years ago, called Cao Shi Tiejiang Pu."

Here it comes!

Jin Ren's expression shifted, though he said nothing, his thoughts racing.

He had heard of this forge— after the Ling Que Trade Fair in Dong Tian Wang City, when he first met Qian Zhan Bu Shou Zuo Teng Shan Hai, the storyteller had suggested he hide in an abandoned forge.

Jin Ren's memory was as sharp as his main body's.

He knew it was exactly this one— Cao Shi Tiejiang Pu!

Li Fugui glanced up at Shou Ye and, seeing no reaction in his eyes, let out a quiet sigh of relief and continued emotionally:

"I recall that roughly, approximately, possibly... this Cao Shi Tiejiang Pu is home to one of the Ten Zun Seats, Kui Lei Han!"

Jin Ren's gaze suddenly went blank, his vision fading away from all the creatures and scenery in Xing Jie.

Kui Lei Han?

Cao Yi Han?

So that's why it's called Cao Shi Tiejiang Pu?

But that doesn't add up. Ba Zun An mentioned a "peerless genius," which doesn't match this image of an older man at all.

Kui Lei Han certainly had the stature to make Dao Qiong Cang wary... maybe even more than that!

But when Tian Shang First Tower was just starting out, what right did they have to invite such a great figure? What was Ba Zun An thinking?

Flashes of legends about Kui Lei Han crossed Jin Ren's mind.

There weren't many— just one key one!

One of the Ten Zun Seats, in a sense, the "foremost."

As Ba Zun An had once mentioned, when Kui Lei Han felt his strength wasn't enough against an opponent, he sat down and comprehended the original Che Shen Nian— Fa Shen Xing Jie.

Back then, the world didn't know how powerful Che Shen Nian was.

It wasn't until later, when this creation was recognized as a groundbreaking work on par with Zu Yuan Power, that Kui Lei Han's status soared.

Even Ba Zun An, a prodigy himself, had his "Jian Nian" as merely a second-generation Che Shen Nian— essentially building on others' work.

"Continue." Suppressing his turmoil, Jin Ren saw a glimmer of breakthrough and said calmly.

"Um." Li Fugui nodded and went on:

"This Cao Shi Tiejiang Pu is in Chang De Zhen, and Kui Lei Han is there. By rights, people should flock to it, turning Qing Yuan Shan into a refining holy land."

"Yet, hardly any information about it circulated in the refining world. Even I know what I do only because I've handled intelligence for years, piecing together shadows into something concrete— I'm not entirely sure of its accuracy..."

"Don't talk about the outside— tell me about inside Cao Shi Tiejiang Pu." Jin Ren interrupted.

"Got it, Shou Ye."

"Cao Shi Tiejiang Pu mainly forges ordinary tools, selling them to the residents of Chang De Zhen who hunt wild beasts for a living. It doesn't spread outside..."

"Indeed, in the last few decades, there haven't been many 'Kui'-branded spirit weapons appearing. After Kui Lei Han became famous, given his status, he probably rarely forged anymore."

"From what I see, they might have retired, or perhaps it's a form of self-imposed seclusion? I don't know if he achieved sainthood... Or maybe, this is what the Five Great Sheng Di Families want."

"After all, Qing Yuan Shan and Chang De Zhen are right outside Yu Jing City, under the nose of Gui Zhe Sheng Shan."

Li Fugui didn't have much internal info and shifted back to key external details.

Jin Ren stroked his chin, pondering, and from the subtext, he picked up on something odd.

"You just said 'they'— what do you mean?"

"Uh, yes." Li Fugui was taken aback, then nodded:

"I heard Kui Lei Han has a son and a daughter. The daughter either died young or ran away— there are all sorts of rumors."

"The son... seems universally described as not very bright, making a living by brute force forging in Chang De Zhen."

Jin Ren sucked in a cold breath.

This sounded way too suspicious.

The foremost of the Ten Zun Seats, with a son who's simple-minded and a daughter who died young or vanished— who would believe that?

Especially with Ba Zun An's mention of a "peerless genius"... Jin Ren pressed: "How much do you know about his son? The one in Chang De Zhen."

"Cao Er Zhu."

Li Fugui paused. "Just that much."

Cao Yi Han, Cao Er Zhu...

It sounded like one was more dim-witted than the last!

Could someone dim-witted create the original Che Shen Nian?

Could someone dim-witted enjoy a peaceful retirement after that?

Look at the other Ten Zun Seats— except for the one who just muddled through life with regrets, full of resentment and knowing nothing, they were all trapped in the struggles of the Great Dao, and even Ba Zun An couldn't escape it.

How could Kui Lei Han transcend all that?

But Li Fugui was reliable; if he shared intel, it couldn't be false.

In an instant, Jin Ren's enthusiasm for seeking help from Qing Yuan Shan to indirectly counter Dao Qiong Cang cooled down.

He had thought of directly inviting that "peerless genius."

Now, it seemed either it would be hard to invite, or he'd end up with some "dim-witted facade" from Kui Lei Han's retirement, which Dao Qiong Cang might not even glance at, or worse... it could be suicide!

Yes, Jin Ren hadn't forgotten what Li Fugui said: Qing Yuan Shan, Chang De Zhen, right under Gui Zhe Sheng Shan's nose.

If Hua Cao Ge in the southern domain could get this intel, how could Dao Qiong Cang not know?

Since he knew Kui Lei Han was near Sheng Shan, how could he not have preparations?

If he went brazenly, it might be another trap waiting for him.

"Damn Ba Zun An, it feels like another huge pit..." Jin Ren even started doubting Ba Zun An's loyalties.

Was this guy a spy for Sheng Shen Dian Tang?

It seemed like he was teaming up with that flashy old Daoist.

"What did you say, Shou Ye?" Li Fugui hadn't caught the mutter.

"Nothing, my mouth's itchy."

"So why did you suddenly bring up Qing Yuan Shan?"

"It's interesting." Jin Ren thought for a moment. "That's the big direction. After we rescue the person, we'll head toward Qing Yuan Shan. Kui... well, his son, that fool, might be playing dumb."

"Cao Er Zhu." Li Fugui wiped away some sweat.

"Right, Cao Er Zhu... What a great name, way better than Ba Zun An or Sang Qi Ye. It has this raw, back-to-basics vibe."

Then I'm pretty raw and basic too... Li Fugui felt a shiver and didn't dare respond to the banter, quickly changing the subject:

"From what you're saying, Shou Ye, you plan to save Xiang Yi?"

"Can't bite the hand that fed me... And I'm Xu Xiao Shou, not one to forget a favor." Jin Ren sighed. "But saving someone right under that flashy old Daoist's nose will take brute force— we need to use cleverness."

"Oh?" Li Fugui perked up.

Shou Ye was finally going to use that wildly creative mind of his to come up with some scheme?

"Please enlighten me, Shou Ye!"

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