Chapter 322: Progress

The sky was just beginning to lighten, the birds just beginning to sing.

As the morning glow, as splendid as blood, hung by the edge of the mountain cliff, Chen Qingyang was already standing at the door of his First Senior Brother, Shen Chongzhou. He held a Jade Box, and inside was that very strand of Earth Deity.

‘He only said he wanted it a dozen or so days ago, and now it’s being presented to him. I wonder what kind of expression my dear Senior Brother will make.’

He knocked gently on the wooden door three times.

‘After all, he’s an Immortal Cultivator. He doesn’t follow the mortal habit of resting at sunset and rising at sunrise. It’s so early, but this shouldn’t be disturbing him, right?’

When Shen Chongzhou came to open the door, his long hair was down, clearly not as neatly tied as it was during the day. Upon seeing it was Chen Qingyang, his expression soured with a hint of impatience.

“Junior Brother, whatever it is, can’t it wait until daytime? I’m getting on in years; I need to rest a bit at night!”

‘Who’d believe that? He’s just annoyed to see me, that’s all.’

Chen Qingyang didn’t want to disturb him this early either, but he had an appointment for “Dual Cultivation” soon and was in a hurry.

“Senior Brother, does your previous offer still stand?”

Shen Chongzhou glanced sideways, his eyes landing on the Jade Box. “You don’t mean…”

“Exactly.”

His First Senior Brother, normally as steady as a mountain, instantly lost his composure and hurriedly pulled Chen Qingyang inside to sit down.

Chen Qingyang placed the Jade Box on the long table before him. “Senior Brother, be careful when you open it. I moved heaven and earth to trade for this strand of Earth Deity. We absolutely can’t let anything go wrong.”

“Nonsense!” Shen Chongzhou huffed, his beard twitching. “The only way to trade for this is with a Foundation Establishment Master. What could you possibly have that a Foundation Establishment Master would even look at…”

As he spoke, he opened the Jade Box, cracking it just enough to peek inside before immediately snapping it shut. His expression changed again. “Quick, tell me exactly how you got this. Don’t tell me you’ve gotten into some huge trouble?”

Seeing his cautious demeanor, Chen Qingyang chuckled lightly. “A certain Master and I are on good terms. I begged her for a long time, and she was willing to give me this strand of Earth Deity. It’s not of much use to her at the moment, so she gave it to me!”

Shen Chongzhou looked Chen Qingyang up and down, then fell silent for a long while. “I just feel like…”

“First Senior Brother, don’t you dare say you don’t believe it. The Earth Deity is right here in front of you, plain as day. You made the promise yourself, in your own words. Now that everything is in order, it’s time to fulfill your end of the bargain!”

Shen Chongzhou shook his head. “It’s not that I don’t believe it. I just think I need to re-evaluate you. I thought Master was being a bit hard on you, leaving you all alone on the mountainside from the beginning.”

“You have no background, yet you’re entangled in such significant karmic ties. That time at the Separation Dragon Pill Institute, you relied entirely on our Youngest Martial Uncle’s protection. And now… you’ve given me such a huge surprise, actually managing to get an Earth Deity. Let me think…”

Squinting, he pondered for a long time. Chen Qingyang, afraid he would go back on his word, was just about to speak when Shen Chongzhou said, “This must have come from Master Yun Ci, the current Peak Master of the Four Golden Peaks. Am I right?”

‘This old fox… how is he so sharp? He saw right through it.’ Thinking of his ambiguous relationship with Yun Ci, the color drained slightly from Chen Qingyang’s face.

But Shen Chongzhou caught that momentary shift. “Junior Brother, you’ve been running off to the Four Golden Peaks constantly of late. Plus, you originated from the Four Golden Peaks yourself. It was the only connection I could make. It seems I really hit the mark. However…”

He stroked his beard again, sizing Chen Qingyang up and down. “I really can’t figure it out. That Master is famous for her cold, reclusive personality. She rarely interacts with anyone. Her talent is superb and her methods are profound. How could she possibly be connected to you?”

‘It seems that in my Senior Brother’s eyes, I’m completely inferior to that Master. After all, he doesn’t know that the one standing before him is at the Essence Condensation Seventh Realm.’

“Since Senior Brother is asking, I’ll explain everything. But you must not tell anyone else. This matter of the Earth Deity must remain between you and me, alright?” Lying, for Chen Qingyang, came as easily as breathing. In just a moment, a story had already formed in his mind.

“Don’t worry. I won’t even tell Master,” Shen Chongzhou promised readily.

“Back when I was at the Four Golden Peaks, there was a group among the servant disciples called Profound Light. It was actually a front for the Nine Nether Mechanic Divine Palace to cultivate spies for the Demon Sect. I discovered that this Mechanical God Palace was colluding with Master Xuan Gui. The one sent to investigate at the time was Master Yun Ci’s disciple, Senior Sister Leng Yueru. I rendered a great service, so Master Yun Ci owes me a favor and promised to grant any one request I might have.”

“Secondly, as you know, Senior Brother, I have a junior sister under my wing who is Cultivating Yin Spirit. She was caught up in that incident and lost her physical body. I’ve been taking care of her, and she happens to be a disciple of Master Yun Ci.”

The logic was sound, front to back. He even wove in Xu Baoling’s origin, leaving his First Senior Brother with no choice but to believe him.

The man acted as if he was above it all, but he was actually the biggest gossip of them all—a natural consequence of his position.

“Now that you put it that way, I understand. Otherwise, how could a figure like Master Yun Ci ever be involved with you? So that girl you’re always spending your time with is one of Master Yun Ci’s people.” His words carried a teasing tone.

“Senior Brother, don’t speak such nonsense. My junior sister and I have a perfectly innocent relationship. If word of this gets out, it will be bad for my reputation. For now, let’s stick to business. You take the Earth Deity, and tomorrow I’ll teach those three servant disciples some Wind Control techniques and a few other Dharma Gates. How does that sound?”

By now, the sky outside had brightened some more, and his First Senior Brother’s mind seemed to have cleared up as well. “Sigh! Oh, Junior Brother. I was just trying to give you a difficult task. If I’d known, I would have asked for the stars in the sky! This is very troublesome now. I’m afraid Master will blame me if he finds out!”