331: More bad than good

Chen Xuan continued to ask, "Regarding the identities of the others, do you have any guesses?"

Chu Haotian took a sip of wine, his fingertips rubbing the edge of the jade bottle as he fell into deep thought. Chen Xuan did not urge him, merely holding his wine cup and sipping slowly while waiting for him to organize his thoughts.

After a moment, Chu Haotian raised his eyes and said, "Since Fellow Daoist is from the Dao Seeking Sect, then what Number Eight said in the Chaos Void Jade that day... it seems Number Eight must have quite a entanglement with your Dao Seeking Sect."

Chen Xuan nodded slowly. "That matter can only be set aside for now; I currently have no clues either."

“I don't know much about Number One's situation,” Chu Haotian continued. “I've never seen him speak in the Chaos Void Jade; he's been silent for at least five years. Although I heard he's been in closed-door cultivation, the actual situation is unknown.”

He paused, his tone certain. “Number Five is definitely from Huangji Prefecture; of this, I am sure.”

“As for Number Seven...”

Chu Haotian pondered for a moment and added, “He seems to be connected to the Yao Race, and there is even a high probability that he is a Demon Race Cultivator himself.”

“A Demon Race Cultivator?”

Chen Xuan was slightly startled and couldn't help but look up toward the direction of the Demon Race Continent.

“Of course, this is just my guess,” Chu Haotian explained. “But according to my judgment, there is at least an eighty percent chance.”

Chen Xuan silently noted this information. He finally had some reference for the identities of the remaining three. Changing the subject, he asked again, “Right, do you know the origin of this Chaos Void Jade? If all eight fragments are gathered, what effect would it have?”

Chu Haotian shook his head without hesitation and smiled bitterly. “Fellow Daoist thinks too highly of me. I'm afraid only Number Two and Number Four would know the answer to that. After I obtained this Chaos Void Jade fragment, I consulted many ancient records, but I could never find any mention of it.”

It seemed the information Number Three possessed ended there. Next, it was time to question the captured young girl.

Chen Xuan casually took out a bottle of Medicinal Pills and pushed it toward Chu Haotian. “Fellow Daoist, rest well and recover. If you plan to return to your Sect, please bring Pingan back with you when the time comes.”

As soon as Chu Haotian saw the bottle of pills on the stone table, his expression turned difficult, as if facing a formidable enemy.

His body recalled bad memories faster than his brain could.

Seeing this, Chen Xuan couldn't help but feel emotional.

Indeed, names can be wrong, but nicknames are never misplaced; his family's Jade-Faced Poison Immortal truly lived up to the reputation.

Chu Haotian hesitated for a moment, forced down the awkwardness on his face, and cupped his hands.

“Thank you, Fellow Daoist.”

Although consuming that medicinal liquid made one feel as if they had been ravaged, Chu Haotian truly could find no fault with the pill's efficacy.

It could even be said to be rare in his lifetime.

As for the ownership of the Number Three Chaos Void Jade fragment, both men tacitly avoided mentioning it. Chu Haotian was satisfied enough to have kept his life. The water behind the Chaos Void Jade was too deep; he admitted he couldn't handle it.

His only regret was that heaven-rank magic treasure he had been longing for... Meanwhile, inside the main hall of the Tianque Sect, the atmosphere was so oppressive it felt stagnant.

Lin Xiuqin, dressed in a green dress, paced back and forth in the hall, her hem sweeping the floor and stirring up a gust of wind.

Her brows were tightly furrowed, and her beautiful face was full of anxiety.

“It's been so long!” She stopped abruptly. “Has there been no reply from the Mountain Protecting Elder's side? Revered Master and the others... for every quarter-hour of delay, their chance of survival decreases.”

Zhao Jingchen stood by the hall door, his black robes making his expression look even more solemn.

Hearing his Junior Sister's words, he slowly turned around and tried to speak calmly to comfort her: “Junior Sister, don't worry. Right now, it's calm all around the Tianque Sect, with not a single intruder in sight. This indicates that Revered Master and Elder Qing Xuan have likely broken through the encirclement successfully and are simply unable to send word back for the time being.”

“Senior Brother, do you even believe those words yourself?” Lin Xiuqin looked up at him, her eyes filled with bitterness.

“Revered Master and the others are facing an assassination attempt by five people, and the opponents even set up a Formation beforehand! Those people are either Lords famous across the Rain God Continent or high-Realm Great Demons! Two against five, and having to break a Formation... how could Revered Master and the others escape? And where could they even run to!”

The series of questions left Zhao Jingchen speechless.

He opened his mouth but found he couldn't find any strong reason to refute her. Indeed, the situation at the time was so perilous that anyone else would likely have no chance of survival.

From the corner of his eye, he glanced at Young Master Li nearby.

He didn't quite understand why the other party could be so calm. Did he not care about his own Revered Master's safety?

“No, I can't just sit here and wait for death!”

Lin Xiuqin suddenly looked up, a flash of determination in her eyes. “I'm going out to look. At worst, I'll live or die with Revered Master.”

As she spoke, she turned to walk out.

“Junior Sister!”

Zhao Jingchen quickly stepped forward and reached out to stop her. “Calm down! Even if you go out, with our cultivation base, what can we do? If we encounter those powerful enemies, not only will we fail to save Revered Master, but we'll also land ourselves in danger. At that time, it will only distract Revered Master and cause more harm than good!”

Stopped by him, Lin Xiuqin's footsteps halted, and the determination in her eyes was gradually replaced by helplessness.

Her eyes reddened, and her voice choked up: “Then tell me, what should we do now? Must we just sit here and wait for death, watching helplessly for news and ignoring whether Revered Master lives or dies?”

The two stood in silence, the atmosphere in the hall becoming increasingly heavy, leaving only the sound of their slightly hurried breathing. Just as the anxiety became unbearable, a figure rushed in from outside the hall.

“Senior Brother Zhao—!”

The Disciple hurried to the two of them and shouted, “Junior Sister Lin! Senior Brother Zhao! Elder Qing Xuan... Elder Qing Xuan has returned!”

“What?!”

Lin Xiuqin and Zhao Jingchen's pupils shrank simultaneously, and the gloom on their faces was instantly swept away by wild joy.

Lin Xiuqin's previous sobbing stopped abruptly. Before the tears in her eyes could fade, the corners of her mouth had already lifted. She didn't even have time to straighten her clothes as she grabbed Zhao Jingchen's sleeve and said urgently, “Senior Brother! Quick! Let's go see!”

Zhao Jingchen also couldn't hide his excitement, his solemn expression replaced by joy as he nodded vigorously.

Li Pingan thought for a moment and followed them out!

In the center of the square, Master Qing Xuan stood alone with his hands behind his back. His robes were covered in dust and thick bloodstains, and he looked extremely wretched.

Lin Xiuqin's eyes widened as she looked around, but she saw no sign of her Revered Master. Her heart sank instantly, and her previous joy was extinguished like a bucket of cold water.

She stepped forward quickly: “Elder, where is my Revered Master? Why did he not return with you?”

Master Qing Xuan looked at her anxious eyes, then at the equally urgent Zhao Jingchen beside her, and sighed heavily. “Haotian... although his life or death is technically uncertain, it is likely more ill than good.”

After saying that, he turned to look at Li Pingan. His expression became even more heavy as he said in a deep voice, “Little friend, your Revered Master, Fellow Daoist Chen... Sigh, in the end, it was my Tianque Sect that implicated Fellow Daoist Chen and put him in peril. Now, he is likely also...”

Li Pingan's expression remained unchanged.

“My Revered Master will definitely not have any trouble!”

Looking at Li Pingan's stubborn appearance, Master Qing Xuan only assumed the child couldn't accept the news of his Revered Master being in danger. He sighed inwardly and said no more, simply patting him on the shoulder.