Chapter 818: Seeing Is Believing

Central Continent, Nine Directions Platform.

Today, the Nine Directions Platform had gained a great many unfamiliar faces, and these newcomers couldn’t help but subtly—or not so subtly—monitor the most famous Gathering of Worthies Pavilion nearby.

Even genuine diners found the strange atmosphere unsettling. No matter how much you loved the food at the Gathering of Worthies Pavilion, you needed to be alive to keep eating.

So these past few days had produced an interesting spectacle.

The grand front doors of the Gathering of Worthies Pavilion stood wide open, yet the interior was completely empty, while outside a considerable number of people watched from a safe distance.

The servers inside wore pale expressions, their faces betraying unmistakable unease.

Chu Xingchen and Bai Xuanling sat in the high-floor fragrant tea room on the left side of the Gathering of Worthies Pavilion, their gazes drifting past the windows, quietly fixed on the building below.

Bai Xuanling calmly sampled her tea while listening to three reasonably pretty young women softly playing a gentle melody.

Nowadays, even the most refined tea business couldn’t survive in such a prosperous area on tea alone, so alongside the fragrance of tea, there naturally had to be other attractions.

Originally the music was supposed to be accompanied by dance, but everyone could tell plainly enough that Chu Xingchen and Bai Xuanling had come for the rumored major event.

The orthodox and unorthodox factions were slowly converging. The unfamiliar faces of both persuasions were impossible to tell apart, and the only course of action was to be cautious, do one’s job, and refrain from doing anything unnecessary.

Perhaps because she knew Chu Xingchen and Bai Xuanling were cultivators, one of the performing women felt her fingers tremble slightly, and a pipa string snapped with a sharp crack.

Zing—

The gentle melody cut off instantly. The room fell deathly silent.

Bai Xuanling didn’t turn to look, merely cradling her teacup with an expression of utter boredom, watching the flowing crowd below.

“You played beautifully. That’s enough for today.” Chu Xingchen also gazed downward, his tone calm. “You may leave. As for the broken pipa, I assume I won’t need to pay for it?”

The pipa-playing woman’s legs went weak at these words and she sank to her knees, her voice trembling slightly:

“Of course not… Thank you for your generosity, my lord.”

“Stand up.” Chu Xingchen glanced sideways and chuckled softly. “Could it be that my appearance looks fierce, like some irredeemable villain?”

“Not at all, my lord. You’re quite handsome.”

“Good. You may go.”

“Yes.”

The pipa player bowed her head gently once more, then led the other two away.

Chu Xingchen didn’t spare them another glance, his gaze continuing to sweep the scene below.

“You’ve been watching for two days now. If I hadn’t seen you send them away, I’d have thought you came to listen to music.” Bai Xuanling cradled her teacup, her tone questioning as she looked toward Chu Xingchen. “What can you possibly see like this? Evil cultivators don’t exactly tattoo the words ‘evil cultivator’ on their foreheads. And whoever’s lurking around here can’t be some great villain—they’re just small fry.”

Chu Xingchen raised an eyebrow slightly and chuckled softly:

“Not necessarily. I’ve actually found quite a few interesting people.”

Bai Xuanling frowned slightly, observed a moment longer, then said with a suspicious tone:

“You’re making this up, aren’t you? You can’t mean a few small fry who can’t even properly conceal their blood qi? How come I haven’t noticed them?” ℴ𝒗ⅇ𝑙.

Chu Xingchen’s gaze locked onto an old man squatting off to the side, wearing a tattered straw hat, grinning foolishly as he sold candied hawthorns:

“There’s one.”

Bai Xuanling narrowed her eyes slightly, recalling for a moment. “I remember him. He was selling at that same spot when we arrived the other day. When I walked past him, there wasn’t the slightest spiritual energy fluctuation—he was definitely a mortal.”

“Moreover, locals were chatting with him. Clearly he’s a local.”

Chu Xingchen’s eyes remained calm and unruffled:

“He was. Until he wore someone else’s face. The original person must have been disposed of. He took the face, took this spot. I don’t know his name, but his cultivation is at late Spirit Transformation, and he has the ability to conceal his own aura. From too far away, with all the chaotic spiritual energy around masking him, we might not have noticed him even if we were paying attention, let alone without using divine sense.”

Bai Xuanling stared calmly for a long moment, finally catching that single, imperceptible wisp of aura that flickered and vanished from the old man’s breathing amid the surrounding chaos.

“There really are some unexpected things in this world.” Bai Xuanling’s voice cooled slightly. “But in the end, they’re nothing more than tricks.”

Chu Xingchen sighed softly, then said quietly:

“I’ve taken note of them all. Once this matter is settled, none of them will be leaving.”

Bai Xuanling looked at Chu Xingchen, then fell silent, lifting her teacup for a small sip.

Chu Xingchen continued watching below. Though it was nearly impossible for ordinary people to distinguish humans from ghosts in the crowd—and even Bai Xuanling might overlook evil cultivators willing to show their true faces simply because she didn’t care enough—under the system’s attribute lines, it was crystal clear who was human and who was not.

He could even pick out the evil cultivators among them who were worth calling “something.”

Xuanqing Heavenly Sect and Tianyan Sect, working together with Li Xingtian, had put on a genuinely convincing performance of an evil cultivator powerhouse encountering trouble in a secret realm.

If anyone investigated carefully, there would be a trail to follow.

As long as the news was confirmed, those who understood its value and had the strength to act would come.

For example… the Evil Spirit Sect, teeming with demons, and specifically the Black Crow Bishop, who cultivated blood qi.

Even if the Black Crow Bishop didn’t come, those demons greedy for blood qi would inevitably lure out something big. A thorough cleansing would serve as a fitting return gift.

And if he did come, that would be even better.

The sun hung low in the sky. Steady footsteps approached from outside the door, and before they even reached the entrance, a young attendant called out loudly:

“My lords, a guest calling himself Mo Huang claims to know you both and requests an audience. If you don’t wish to see him, I’ll send word back.”

Chu Xingchen and Bai Xuanling exchanged a glance.

He’s here.

Chu Xingchen answered in a languid tone:

“Show him in.”

“Yes.” The attendant acknowledged, then retreated with slow steps.

After another moment, heavier but quieter footsteps approached, pausing outside the door. A gentle male voice spoke:

“You’ve been waiting long. I am Mo Huang.”

Chu Xingchen replied: “Come in.”

As his voice fell, the door was slowly pushed open.

Standing in the doorway, a man with a mild expression walked in at an unhurried pace, his gaze falling on Chu Xingchen and Bai Xuanling. He immediately clasped his hands in a bow:

“You’ve waited long. Today I come under the Sect Master’s orders to meet you both.”

“The Black Crow Sect Master?” The corner of Chu Xingchen’s mouth curved into a smile. “How did this great power end up here?”

The man’s tone was humble, his expression kept extremely low: “Since you carry the Black Crow’s direct token, the Sect Master naturally cannot ignore it. By the rules, you could say you’ve shown great kindness to our sect.”

Chu Xingchen’s tone suddenly turned cold:

“If it’s such great kindness, why isn’t he here in person to see me?”

The man answered calmly:

“The Sect Master has already seen you. He simply hasn’t greeted you personally yet.”

“After all, the blood qi you left on the direct token—only the Sect Master could recognize it here.”

“You understand the Sect Master’s bearing. Coming to meet you personally would be the utmost sincerity.”

Chu Xingchen suddenly laughed:

“Of course I understand. A blood qi cultivator with no blood at all—his reputation for running fast is well known.”

The man chuckled along, not the least bit offended:

“As long as the senior knows.”

Chu Xingchen leaned back languidly:

“Knowing doesn’t help. If he truly wants a share of the pie, he needs to come see me himself.” ℯℓ.

“If what arrives is a fake, then this matter ends. I am myself, he is himself.”

“There are no free cakes falling from the sky. If you want a share, you stake your life.”

“For cultivators like us, it always comes down to seeing is believing.”