Chapter 259 - 135: Nine Great Dukes, Like the Sun in Central Heaven! A Rootless Drifter in Jiangyin Prefecture Must Seek the Power Fist.

Chapter 259: Chapter 135: Nine Great Dukes, Like the Sun in Central Heaven! A Rootless Drifter in Jiangyin Prefecture Must Seek the Power Fist.

"That night."

"I heard that Junior Martial Uncle Duan was hunted down, first by one of the ten leaders of the old Chaotic Heaven Thieves, and then by a Celestial Monarch’s Envoy from the Central Yellow Fiend. In the end..."

"He was cornered by some ’Celestial Killing Star’ who came out of nowhere, forced to shed his blood in the East Canghai until not even a body was left!"

Qin Zhuo spoke rapidly, recounting one by one the turbulent events that had roiled Jiangyin Prefecture for over a month.

His words sent ripples of turmoil through Ji Xiu’s heart, and his gaze grew increasingly cold.

’Ever since I awakened my Innate Wisdom and arrived in the Great Xuan, I’ve been utterly destitute, living a precarious existence.’

’Even with the Primordial Daoist Talisman as my pillar of support, it couldn’t just conjure Wonderful Techniques out of thin air for me.’

’If I hadn’t been fortunate enough to be noticed by a great benefactor like Duan Chenzhou, who gave me guidance and set me on a Heaven-Reaching Dao for Bone Marrow, Bone Tempering, and Skin Refining...’

’If I had been left to fend for myself, struggling in Anning County, I never could have shattered the Great Limit and achieved Golden Muscle and Jade Veins or Mercury Blood Silver Marrow, no matter how well I mastered the common techniques the county had to offer!’

’And I certainly would have never had the chance to meet the daughter of a prominent family, the Young Master of the Water Mansion, or even connect with the famous Marquis Daughter...’

’Life is often like that. A single misstep can lead to a lifetime of failure. But if you catch the right gust of wind, you can soar ninety thousand li into the sky!’

’Duan Chenzhou was the indispensable catalyst that allowed me, Ji Xiu, to catch that wind!’

So now, hearing that his Master—the one who had taught him everything—had been relentlessly and brutally beaten to death in the Prefecture City, how could he not be consumed by fury?

"The Fish Medicine Store, Daoist School Street, the Chaotic Heaven Thieves, the Central Yellow Fiend, and the Black Market’s Assassin, the ’Celestial Killing Star’..."

As Ji Xiu murmured softly, one name after another fell from his lips. Finally, he let out a derisive scoff.

"So many factions... How many Qi Cultivation Grandmasters must they have mobilized? What a storm this must have raised."

"My Master certainly lived up to his old title, the man who once shook Jiangshui. He caused such a commotion the moment he set foot in the prefecture."

Ji Xiu lowered his gaze, not doubting Qin Zhuo’s words in the slightest.

Never mind the deep-seated power these names represented; these factions had been entrenched in Jiangyin Prefecture for decades, some for a Hundred Years, their networks tangled and complex.

The sight of his senior brother, Qin Zhuo, wearing a white mourning band and having traveled a thousand li across the sea to find him was proof enough.

If it weren’t true, his Senior Master would never have sent Qin Zhuo all the way to Anning County.

"Master made so many enemies, and he even went to the Celestial Blade Style beforehand to have his name removed from the School’s register," Ji Xiu said, his eyes on the white band around Qin Zhuo’s head. "By holding a funeral for him, isn’t Senior Master afraid of bringing that trouble down on his own head?"

"Junior Brother, what are you saying?"

"Junior Martial Uncle Duan grew up under our Master’s watch, just like us disciples of the True Inheritance. Now that something has happened to him, how could our old Master possibly stand by and do nothing?"

Ji Xiu nodded. He looked at the Sword Plaque hanging in the main hall—the very one from which he drew enlightenment daily to advance his Saber Skill—and a deeper understanding dawned in his eyes.

He had sensed something was afoot back when he was at the Celestial Blade Style.

His Senior Master, Chen He, was the son of the Titled Martial Saint Chen Danding. By rights, he was the orthodox successor to the Martial Saint’s Inheritance from the Sword Dao Ancestral Court.

If he had lived a peaceful life until now, he wouldn’t have even deigned to look at the current turmoil in Jiangyin Prefecture. His followers and lackeys alone would have been enough to handle it all.

He had joined Wang Xuanyang’s school to conceal his identity during those years on the run. Otherwise, he should have been of the same generation as Ji Xiu’s own Ancestral Master.

His Master, Duan Chenzhou, had been a Fisherman’s Son from the Fishing Trade, taken in as a disciple by the Ancestral Master. And though Duan Chenzhou was often sharp-tongued toward Wang Xuanyang, he secretly held deep respect for him.

Senior Master Chen He, however, had strongly disapproved of the Ancestral Master’s decision to found his own School, which he felt attracted disaster. This caused the two martial brothers to appear as incompatible as Water and Fire.

But that was a family matter, to be handled behind closed doors.

’I knew it just from the fact that when Senior Master Chen He saw me comprehend the Great Five Decline Celestial Saber, he left me his own father’s most treasured Sword Plaque.’

’If he truly didn’t care for my Master, he never would have done such a thing. Even with his name removed from the register, they still shared decades of friendship forged through hardship.’

’Even under immense pressure, there was no way he wouldn’t hold this funeral, no way he wouldn’t carve this blood debt, stroke by stroke, into his very soul!’

Achieving the Outer Gang realm today should have been a joyous occasion, but this dreadful news sent Ji Xiu’s spirits plunging to rock bottom.

He rose in silence, took the Sword Plaque down from the wall, and hoisted it onto his shoulder. Then he slung his greatbow over his back and took a deep breath.

"Senior Brother, let’s go."

"To the Prefecture City... to attend the funeral!"

Ji Xiu saw two white funeral banners fluttering beside the door. He reached out, tore a strip from one, and tied it around his head. His steps were heavy, charged with the stillness of a coming storm.

Seeing this calm in him, like the quiet before a volcanic eruption, Qin Zhuo couldn’t hold back his concern.

"Junior Brother, when Master sent me, he said to tell you this: the Prefecture City is nothing like the county. The waters there run deep!"

"The connections there are tangled and deep-rooted. You have no foundation and you’re young and hot-headed. If you run into trouble, you must endure it. Just burn three sticks of incense and pay your respects at the cenotaph. That will be enough to fulfill your filial duty as a disciple. All debts can be settled after you’ve become a Qi Cultivation Grandmaster and your Qi is like a Dragon and Tiger. Whatever you do, don’t..."

Without turning his head, Ji Xiu just smiled, the white mourning band fluttering behind him.

"Don’t worry, Senior Brother. I know how to weigh the priorities."

"The priority right now is to get into the Mansion Courtyard and establish a foothold. Once I’ve become a Qi Cultivation Grandmaster, a Great Xuan Mansion Official, with the prospect of a Fiefdom..."

"It won’t be too late to settle the accounts then."

Stepping over the threshold, Ji Xiu looked toward Jiangyin Prefecture, his eyes calm.

At some point, his hand had found the brocade pouch Duan Chenzhou had given him. After a moment of silence, he opened it. Inside was a note with several lines of large, powerful characters written on it: