Chapter 1982 - Interception

Neither Wen Gongda nor Yan Jingfu spoke. Their faces, however, were every bit as grim.

Master Bian dared leave nothing out. He described his entire visit to the Chai Clan’s spiritual fields, including Liu Wuxie’s unforeseen intervention. Only what the two men had discussed inside the thatched hut remained beyond his knowledge.

“Where did this brat come from? Do you know?” Yan Jingfu asked, his brow tightening. An uneasiness he could not account for had taken hold of him.

Chai Qian was a Great Golden Immortal. Why should a mere Profound Immortal command such courtesy from him? Something about the young man did not fit.

“I don’t know. No one in the Chai Clan told me who he was,” Master Bian replied helplessly. None of the elders had introduced Liu Wuxie to him. He had seen only Chai Shan murmuring into the Grand Elder’s ear.

“Brother Liang, Brother Wen, harvest is nearly here. We cannot let anything go wrong now. The Chai Clan can scarcely hold out until the end of this year. Take away one more harvest, and they’ll fall apart. Then the southern district’s immortal rice trade belongs to us,” Yan Jingfu said.

An entire decade of waiting had brought them to this point.

“Before we make another move, find out who that brat is,” Liang Chengzhou said after considering the matter.

“Yes, but quietly. Once we know his background, we can decide what to do,” Wen Gongda said with a nod. Three days still remained. Haste would serve no purpose.

“Leave Mulberry Sea City tonight. Go back to Rainbow Soaring City and wait for our instructions. Prepare the medicine while you’re there. We don’t want the Chai Clan becoming suspicious. In three days, that medicine is to go into their fields,” Yan Jingfu ordered, pinning Master Bian with a sharp stare. Letting him linger nearby would only raise questions.

“I’ll be on my way, then,” Master Bian said, cupping his hands before disappearing into the darkness.

“We should head back as well. Leave the Chai Clan alone for the next few days. There’s no sense in pushing them into desperation,” Liang Chengzhou said. The three patriarchs set off for Mulberry Sea City.

The four clans were evenly matched in strength. An open conflict would inevitably draw the Azure Jade Palace's attention. They had to bring down the Chai Clan quietly, without arousing the sect’s suspicion.

“So it was the three of you all along,” Chai Qian murmured, fury darkening his face. After the patriarchs departed, he too made his way back to Mulberry Sea City.

Once in his study, he showed no inclination to sleep. Two hours earlier, he had dispatched the trusted aides he had personally nurtured. Now he awaited their return.

Around midnight, a black-clad figure dropped from the sky and passed through the study’s open door.

“I failed you, Patriarch. The traitor escaped me,” the aide said, sinking to his knees. This was the man Chai Qian had ordered to follow the figure leaving the estate.

“Rise,” Chai Qian said, gesturing for him to stand. The result did not surprise him. Above all, he had wanted to establish whether Liu Wuxie was right about a traitor hiding within the clan.

“The suspect made several attempts to enter the spiritual fields, Patriarch, but the barrier kept him out. He fled before I could get close,” the man in black reported, recounting the pursuit.

Chai Qian paced across the study. An unidentified traitor meant the fields remained in danger. Before the harvest came, he had to discover who it was.

Another black-clad figure landed outside just then and slipped into the study.

“I’ve uncovered something important, Patriarch,” the newcomer said, presenting a report.

Chai Qian opened the document. All it contained were a few sentences.

“The man calling himself Master Bian is Bian Hai, also known as Bian the Scoundrel. He earns his living through fraud and deception. A month ago, he began posing as a master of immortal rice cultivation, claiming the ability to cure any ailment that afflicted the crops.”

Chai Qian gripped the report and ground it into powder. He needed no words to express his rage.

The Chai Clan’s desperation had left it willing to grasp at any remedy, and a swindler had exploited that weakness. Had they poured his medicine into the soil, nothing but barren wasteland would have remained of their spiritual fields. The malice behind the scheme was vicious.

Even under normal circumstances, immortal rice demanded painstaking cultivation. During a bad year, countless ailments could strike, giving frauds every chance to prey upon desperate growers and reap enormous profits.

“That will be all. We proceed as planned,” Chai Qian said, waving the two men away.

The oil lamp’s crackle broke the silence. Chai Qian’s eyes were bloodshot, yet he felt no weariness. Without Liu Wuxie’s arrival at precisely the right time, the outcome would have been unimaginable. He had tested the so-called medicine. The Celestial Blood Viper Spirit was indeed inside it.

In another room, Liu Wuxie remained awake, sitting upright on his bed. With most of the Chai Clan’s problems addressed, his thoughts turned to the Mountain Guardian Sect.

Elder Kong had described a sect skilled at evading its obligations. Recovering its overdue tribute would require more than simply appearing at its gates and demanding the payment.

Poverty had kept the Chai Clan from paying the overdue tribute, but the Mountain Guardian Sect had chosen not to pay. What method worked for one would not work for the other.

He would have to force the Mountain Guardian Sect to settle its account, but his current cultivation ruled out brute strength. The sect housed several Golden Immortals and was led by a Great Golden Immortal.

“All this trouble for a few treasures. What a headache...” Liu Wuxie murmured, a self-mocking smile touching his lips. He put the problem aside and circulated the Desolate Devouring Art, drawing the surrounding immortal energy into himself.

At dawn, someone knocked on the door. Liu Wuxie found Chai Qian waiting outside, his eyes bloodshot. The sight startled him. What had happened for the patriarch to look like that?

“I need to speak with you, Young Master Liu,” Chai Qian said. He no longer viewed Liu Wuxie as a junior. He didn't even wait for Liu Wuxie to invite him inside.

Liu Wuxie shut the door behind him and sealed the room off from the outside world.

“Tell me what happened, Patriarch Chai,” he said, pouring a cup of tea for his guest after they sat.

“You were right, Young Master Liu, about all of it. We have a traitor, and Master Bian is a fraud. Without your warning, I cannot imagine what would have become of us,” Chai Qian said, bowing deeply in gratitude.

“How do you plan to handle it?” Liu Wuxie asked. Advice was all he had supplied. Chai Qian had put every arrangement in motion himself, and Liu Wuxie had played no direct part in it.

“The truth is, I don’t know. That’s why I came so early. I need your advice,” Chai Qian admitted. His mind was in turmoil. Betrayal within his own clan had cut him deeply, while three rival clans watched from outside like hungry wolves. One wrong decision could destroy everything. He needed Liu Wuxie’s counsel.

Their short acquaintance had already shown him the young man’s sharp mind. Perhaps, with that guidance, he could spare the Chai Clan some of the losses ahead.

“You’re afraid that exposing the traitor won’t end this. The three clans could turn to harsher methods and destroy the fields anyway. Is that it?” Liu Wuxie asked.

He understood the fear. The Liang, Wen, and Yan Clans had already shown what they were willing to do. Who could say what they would do next?

“That’s exactly my concern,” Chai Qian replied. With only three days left, the clan had no room for error.

Liu Wuxie’s brow furrowed. There was no easy answer.

Payment of the overdue tribute would conclude his mission. For the Chai Clan, it might mark only the beginning of another ordeal. Even a successful harvest would not exhaust the rivals’ means of retaliation. They could tamper with rice prices again, as they had done before.

He had no desire to become entangled in their feud. All he wanted was a quiet place to cultivate, not a role in their conflict.

“Give me time to consider it. We still have three days. For now, put your efforts into securing the harvest,” Liu Wuxie said, making no commitments.

He had no personal ties to any of the four clans, nor did he bear them any grudges. Helping the Chai Clan eliminate its three rivals had never been his intention.

Disappointment passed over Chai Qian’s face.

Liu Wuxie saw the patriarch out, then withdrew to his room.

Later that morning, Liu Wuxie left the estate to explore Mulberry Sea City and gather information about the Mountain Guardian Sect. He had barely stepped through the gates when several hidden observers fixed their gazes on him.

“That’s him. The brat who spoiled our clans’ plans. The patriarchs want him alive,” the scouts whispered, then followed him.

After walking several streets, Liu Wuxie frowned.

“I’ve only just arrived in Mulberry Sea City. Who would already be following me?” he murmured.

The pursuers could not belong to the Chai Clan. Who, then? He increased his pace and turned into a quieter side street.

Two streets later, he turned into a narrow alley between two large estates. Running behind the residences, it measured barely three meters across and saw little traffic.

The moment he stopped, figures rushed into the alley and blocked both exits.

“You’re coming with us, brat. Our Master wants a word.”

Three cultivators at the pinnacle of the Divine Immortal Realm confronted him. Another three advanced from behind, their combined auras pressing down upon him.

“And who might this master of yours be?” Liu Wuxie asked coldly.

“Come along, and you’ll know soon enough,” they replied, closing to within three meters. Every one of them gripped an artifact, poised to attack without warning.

“Suppose I choose not to come?” Liu Wuxie asked with a smile.