Chapter 1276: Jue Liunian

Chapter 1276: Chapter 1276: Jue Liunian

"Does he really not know?" Although Pei Yan was in the Immortal Palace when Peach Blossom Spring was destroyed, most of these matters were handled internally by the Immortal Palace. The Embroidered Robe Envoy also took this opportunity to appear in the public eye. As a bystander, Pei Yan did not experience these events firsthand, so he asked with curiosity.

Liu Xuanji shook his head and smiled bitterly, "How could he not know? The disciples around Lin Daozi at the time were all personally trained and selected by him according to Lin Daozi’s preferences. Nobody believed he was unaware. However, there might be some hidden truths in this, but the truth I might never know for the rest of my life. He was taken away by the Embroidered Robe Envoy, and I don’t even know if he’s alive or dead now."

At this, Liu Xuanji looked at Pei Yan helplessly and said, "Pei Yan, the reason I’m telling you so much is not to plead for myself. I’ve lived this life, and in my youth, I once feared death. At that time, it was because I feared not reaching the peak I wanted to climb, so I was unwilling! But living to this age, death really means nothing to me now! Yet that unwillingness still remains. I can die, even if you say it’s for your subordinates or your vassals, if you demand my life to pay for theirs, I accept it! At least you’ve given me a reasonable justification. But for this matter, because of my momentary confusion and negligence, the sect was destroyed because of it! I’m unwilling, Pei Yan, I am unwilling, do you understand?"

"I understand!" Pei Yan said, sitting back down and picking up his chopsticks to take a bite, savoring the taste of the dish and nodding in praise before pouring himself a drink. Finally, he said, "I understand! But what does your unwillingness have to do with me?"

This sentence from Pei Yan directly made Liu Xuanji feel embarrassed, not knowing how to respond for a long time. Seeing Liu Xuanji’s reaction, Pei Yan chuckled and said, "Elder Liu, I know right now you’re probably thinking that you’ve spoken candidly with me and yet I, not appreciating it, am despised for getting ahead as a despicable person, correct? Haha, you’re not entirely wrong, even I feel that way."

Once again bewildered by Pei Yan’s self-mockery, Liu Xuanji sat in front of Pei Yan, wanting to see what he would say next. At this point, Pei Yan stood up, picked up the wine jug, and poured another cup for Liu Xuanji before continuing, "Elder Liu, if I may ask, how old are you this year?"

"I don’t remember the exact lifespan, but since stepping into cultivation, it’s been over thirteen hundred years."

"Wow!" Hearing this number, Pei Yan couldn’t help but exclaim with admiration, "My family records don’t go beyond four hundred years up their lineage. Including the time in the Daoist Plane, I’ve only lived less than twenty-six years, and my cultivation time is less than seven years."

"Pei Yan, are you boasting about your youthful success to an old man like me? Yes! Indeed, at your age, I couldn’t keep up with you, not just me but looking across several great planes from ancient times to present, your cultivation progress is unmatched," Liu Xuanji raised his eyebrows and sneered with disdain.

"You’ve misunderstood! I, Pei Yan, like to hear a few compliments but haven’t become shameless enough to force people to praise me. My achievements today are only partly due to hard work; they mainly rely on opportunities and the help of benefactors. In terms of astuteness, I’m far behind many elders who’ve lived for thousands of years, which is why I like to speak straightforwardly, focusing on three words."

"Oh! Which three words do you mean exactly?"

"Reason, Benefit, Loyalty! In interactions and dealings, we either talk about principles or use benefits to entice me. If neither exists, then it’s about loyalty. Having said this, Elder, I’d like to ask you, do we have anything binding us among these three?" Pei Yan raised three fingers to Liu Xuanji, curling them back one by one as he explained.

"Uh~!" This statement once again left Liu Xuanji unsure of how to respond.

Seeing Liu Xuanji fall silent once more, Pei Yan picked up his chopsticks to grab some food from the plate in front of him and said while eating, "There is a bit of friendship between me and Hongjun Sword Furnace, and because of that friendship, I’ve given you an opportunity when a real issue arose! Actually, from the start, you knew who was responsible, but you just chose not to tell me! Because you thought you could resolve the issue before it erupted again. However, the truth is you couldn’t, and not only did you fail, but you also plunged your sect into a larger crisis. Elder Liu, you used your arrogance to reject my goodwill."

"Pei Yan, I too have my difficulties," Liu Xuanji sighed with helplessness after a long silence.

"I still say, what do your difficulties have to do with me? Elder Liu, since we’ve reached this point, I won’t hide from you that Hongjun Sword Furnace has never been the subject of my suspicion from the beginning, even after this incident I still have doubts about the current result. But what good are my doubts? Right now, you won’t even reveal the origin of the culprits to me, so why would I go to lengths to prove your innocence? No one has said the Immortal Palace can’t have two sects colluding with outsiders again. Apart from identifying the real colluder, I don’t mind dragging another down. You know why? There’s a benefit to doing this! Not to mention the Embroidered Robe Envoy who repeatedly hinted at wanting to create such an opportunity, even Celestial Sword Manor, still detained, would suffice if I merely make a gesture to reveal a bit of your deeds to them. Just that could be enough grief for you, right?" Having sampled all the dishes on the table, Pei Yan concluded, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth before leaning back in the chair, crossing his legs, and gazing meaningfully at the thoroughly unsettled Liu Xuanji.

"And you say you lack shrewdness; this clearly holds the old man’s fate in your hands! I truly admire your skills in investigation in the Daoist Plane. Those old, trivial matters, I thought no one would discover them again! Yet you found the flaws from the documents. Now, you have our sect’s weaknesses in your grasp, what is there to hide anymore? Speak up! What do you want to know, the old man will tell you truthfully." Liu Xuanji discerned the implications within Pei Yan’s words and agreed resignedly, leaning by the table.

"Then answer my first regret. Who is that master? Why does he know the most profound swordsmanship of your Hongjun Sword Furnace? And why have you been protecting him without telling me?" Pei Yan asked, firing questions that had been troubling him from the bottom of his heart.

"Jue Yunpeng."

"Jue Yunpeng? Who is he?" Liu Xuanji weakly uttered those three words, leaving Pei Yan baffled as the name was unfamiliar. Despite investigating the famous top experts of each sect since arriving at the Daoist Plane, he remembered not hearing this name. Could it be some hermit expert from Hongjun Sword Furnace?