Chapter 1980 - Shrouded in Mystery

Chai Hu resented the order, but he dared not disobey it. With no choice left, he departed the spiritual fields alongside Chai Shan.

“Change the barrier, Patriarch Chai. Make certain no one can get inside,” Liu Wuxie said after the two elders had vanished from sight.

“I’ll see to it,” Chai Qian replied, inscribing seals to rewrite the barrier’s laws.

From then on, only Chai Qian could enter the fields. Anyone who tried to break through would awaken countless spiritual arrays. Even an Immortal Venerable wouldn't go unscathed if they tried to force their way in.

To shield its fields from sabotage, the Chai Clan had invested a fortune in those defenses.

“Now take me to the spiritual fields belonging to those three rival forces,” Liu Wuxie said.

Dusk drew near. The experts guarding the other fields had begun tidying their surroundings before settling down for the night.

“Come with me,” Chai Qian said with a nod. Together, they passed through the barrier. The defensive arrays sprang to life behind them, ready to alert the Chai Clan at the faintest disturbance.

A mountain path led them to an immense expanse of spiritual fields. The three rival forces were not the only owners here. Several smaller clans cultivated immortal rice as well, though their little plots produced scarcely enough to feed their own people.

Among third-tier clans, few could match the extent of the Chai Clan’s fields. Second-tier clans owned substantial acreage, but they also had far more mouths to feed. Most of what they harvested never reached the market.

“The Yan Clan owns the land to our left. Their patriarch, Yan Jingfu, is a shrewd, calculating man. To the right are the Liang Clan’s fields. Liang Chengzhou, their patriarch, prefers to stay out of sight and rarely deals with outsiders. The fields between them belong to the Wen Clan. They have the most land, comprising twenty hectares. Their patriarch, Wen Gongda, has quite a history. He started as a rogue cultivator and built his clan from nothing,” Chai Qian explained, indicating each expanse.

Wariness entered his eyes at the mention of Wen Gongda’s name. The Wen Clan’s swift expansion made it the most dangerous of the three.

“I’ll need more than that. Have someone compile a detailed account of all three clans,” Liu Wuxie said. What he had learned suggested that the situation was far more complicated than he had initially assumed.

“Consider it done,” Chai Qian replied, nodding. He took out a Communication Talisman and ordered his men to investigate the three clans.

“Stay here, Patriarch Chai. I’ll have a look myself,” Liu Wuxie said, starting down the slope. He wanted to examine the fields firsthand, and bringing Chai Qian might draw unnecessary attention.

Before Chai Qian could reply, Liu Wuxie executed the Divine Ninefold Steps and vanished, racing down the slope like a falling meteor. He reached the edge of the Yan Clan’s fields.

In a distant tree, the bird opened its wings and flew after him.

Keeping to the perimeter, Liu Wuxie gathered a few panicles of rice that the wind had carried out of the fields. His actions were unlikely to arouse suspicion. Every year, scavengers came to collect the scattered grain. They found little, but even that little could hold hunger at bay.

Soul energy and mental energy flowed from him into the immortal rice. Within moments, his brows knitted.

“Interesting. There’s much more to this than I thought,” Liu Wuxie murmured, a cold light flashing through his eyes. Above him, the circling bird cried out in alarm and hastened away.

He cast the rice aside and went directly to the Liang Clan’s fields. Another fallen panicle lay there for him to inspect. As he examined it, his gaze chilled further and foreboding stirred within him. He could feel the reach of a vast conspiracy slowly closing in on the entire Celestial Realm.

Fifteen minutes later, he arrived at the Wen Clan’s fields. Here, the wind had scattered even more grain, and several scavengers were collecting it. His arrival earned hostile looks. They took him for another hungry competitor seeking a share of their meager finds.

Liu Wuxie crushed a grain between his fingers. A strange rune emerged and hung before him, invisible to the naked eye. Even the Ghost Pupil and the Divine Tribulation Pupil revealed only a faint outline.

“Soul laws? So he’s obtained the Fate Pupil, one of the Eight Divine Pupils. I hadn’t expected that,” Liu Wuxie murmured, his expression darkening with concern.

“If that’s the case, the Fate Pupil should let him deduce my origins. I can’t afford to move this slowly,” Liu Wuxie murmured. Who could unsettle even him to such a degree? No one knew.

He dared not linger long enough to alert the three clans. After only a brief stay, he hurried back up to the slope.

“What did you find?” Chai Qian asked, seeing Liu Wuxie's troubled expression.

“We’ll talk once we’re back. This needs to reach the Azure Jade Palace’s upper echelons,” Liu Wuxie replied, refusing to elaborate. The matter had already grown beyond his ability to manage. He wanted no part in the turmoil it would bring.

For now, he needed to focus on cultivation. He needed to reach the Immortal Emperor Realm as swiftly as he could. Only with that strength could he defend himself and exact his revenge.

Those few words told Chai Qian a great deal. Still, he could hardly demand details that Liu Wuxie had chosen to withhold.

From above, the bird had observed Liu Wuxie. When he departed, it did not follow. Instead, it flew toward a mountain in the distance.

A young woman sat upon the summit. She was the immortal crane, wearing human form. The bird alighted on her shoulder and launched into an unbroken stream of chirps, relating all it had seen that day.

Its account came in the language of birds, beyond human comprehension.

The woman’s expression changed as she listened. Liu Wuxie’s behavior at the three clans’ fields drew particular attention. Had he uncovered something?

“Keep watching him. I need to report to the mistress,” she said. She resumed the form of an immortal crane and flew toward the Azure Jade Palace.

Immortal Emperor Shui Yao had sealed the Matriarch Cradle Peak. Only the crane could still enter.

“Mistress, I bring news,” she announced as she landed.

Before withdrawing into seclusion, Shui Yao had instructed her to observe Liu Wuxie closely and interrupt only for something important. The crane would not have risked disturbing her now without serious cause.

“Tell me,” Shui Yao replied. She stayed in seclusion, but a white projection appeared beside her. Her divine sense had given it form and the capacity to think independently.

“I assigned Ling’er to follow him, Mistress, as you instructed. She’s witnessed several unusual things,” the immortal crane said. Nothing ordinary could have justified this haste. Shui Yao had expressly charged her with watching Liu Wuxie and discovering his true identity. She had even arranged his missions to test him.

“Go on,” Shui Yao said, her expression revealing not the slightest interest.

The crane began with Liu Wuxie’s arrival at the Chai Clan and recounted everything that followed. She imitated his voice and mannerisms, even assuming his appearance to make the reenactment as faithful as possible.

A strange gleam stirred in Shui Yao’s eyes when she heard how he had taken command of the conversation and denied Chai Qian every opportunity to argue.

Most Profound Immortals would have found it difficult simply to keep their composure before a Great Golden Immortal. Liu Wuxie had done far more. He had pressed at precisely the right moments and eased off just as deftly, leaving Chai Qian bewildered. For someone at his cultivation, that self-possession was extraordinary. He had only just entered the sect. Where had such confidence come from?

He clearly possessed abilities far beyond those of ordinary cultivators and could handle himself well even in difficult situations.

The crane continued with the events in the spiritual fields, followed by the private conversation inside the thatched hut.

The Azure Jade Palace knew of the Chai Clan’s plight. Yet countless small clans lived under its protection, more than even Shui Yao could remember individually. It was Liu Wuxie who commanded her attention.

As the crane reenacted Liu Wuxie's reactions while inspecting the three rival clans’ fields, a peculiar look entered Shui Yao’s eyes. Something in that expression brought another person to mind.

“Bring both Deputy Palace Masters here,” Shui Yao ordered when the account ended.

“At once!”

“Could it truly be you?” Shui Yao murmured after closing her eyes to weigh everything she had heard.

Roughly fifteen minutes passed before a man and a woman entered the Matriarch Cradle Peak. The immortal crane followed behind them.

“Our respects, Palace Master!” The pair served as the Azure Jade Palace’s two deputy palace masters, handling most of its affairs.

Shui Yao nodded in return. “Repeat your report for them,” she told the crane.

The immortal crane recounted the events a second time. Neither deputy palace master knew of Liu Wuxie yet. The recruitment report had not yet reached them.

“Fifty immortal roots? A Profound Immortal who placed first in all four trials?” the two exclaimed, unable to believe what they were hearing.

His name prompted a startled exchange of glances. At last, they understood why a mere Profound Immortal had drawn so much of the palace master’s attention.

“Do you believe he could be that man, Palace Master?” the woman asked. Her name was Ning Chi. The middle-aged man beside her was Yuan Shao. Both had served Shui Yao for millennia.

“What detailed information do you have on those three clans?” Shui Yao asked, without answering Ning Chi.

“I’ll order an investigation at once,” Ning Chi replied. Clans of such minor standing rarely warranted a deputy palace master’s attention.

She produced a Communication Talisman and contacted the elders, directing them to look into each of the three clans.

Roughly half an incense stick later, light shone from the talisman as their findings arrived. Ning Chi read the report, then raised her eyes to Shui Yao. Anger flickered in her eyes.

“There’s more to this than we realized, Palace Master,” she said, her brow tightly furrowed.