Chapter 147: Consultation

Chapter 147: Deliberation

Volume 14, Chapter 9: Waves Stir the Nine Rivers as Fish and Dragons Leap; Turmoil in the Six Ministries Drives Immortals and Demons Wild (Part 10)

The Master of the Red Bean Pavilion made no direct commitment. With a faint smile, he took a gentle sip of tea and said, "However, arriving in Jiujin City just in time to catch a fine show! The Sun and Moon Divine Alliance and the Six Ministries of Northern Xi have finally come to an open clash! Ha! We shall certainly have a grand spectacle to watch!"

After standing in silent observation for a moment longer, he and Guangchen rose to leave. Walking swiftly, they arrived at the Awakening Hall just in time to see Shaohua hurrying out through the entrance. With a trace of anxiety, Guangchen asked him, "Junior Brother Shaohua, have the Jiang brothers arrived yet?"

Shaohua replied, "I was just about to go looking for you both. The two Jiang brothers have already arrived! Only... only the situation does not look good! You two had better go inside quickly to see for yourselves!"

Guangchen and his companion exchanged glances, a dark foreboding rising in their hearts: *"Could the Jiang brothers really be suffering from internal injuries, just as Yuan Hanyuan and the others claimed? If that is true, what shall become of the duel three days from now!?"* A wave of quiet apprehension filled them. When they stepped into the main hall, Liu Ruoming and the others were already conversing with two burly men, who were none other than the Jiang brothers.

Stepping forward quickly, they bowed and said, "Greetings, Senior Brothers!"

The two burly men struggled to their feet. With slightly pale faces, they smiled and said, "This must be Junior Brother! No need for such formal courtesies! We are feeling somewhat indisposed, so I trust Junior Brother will not take offense."

"Not at all!" one of them replied. "Please, esteemed Senior Brothers, be seated right away!"

One of the burly men sighed, "We were summoned here by Senior Brother Zhou's Seven-Origin Tianji Dream-Weaving technique, yet I fear we have failed to live up to Senior Brother Zhou's trust! We are afraid we cannot participate in the duel a few days from now! Ah! It is all our own fault for being rash for a moment..."

Liu Ruoming said, "Senior Brother Jiang Hui, please do not speak thus! None of us could have foreseen the sudden appearance of the Master of the Red Bean Pavilion! Furthermore, your earth-shattering battle at the Wanghai Tower has greatly crushed the enemy's arrogance and boosted our own prestige!"

Guangchen added, "Indeed! Senior Brothers, your majestic display of might—fighting many against few and routing the entire faction of the Six Ministries of Northern Xi, forcing Duan Gongzi, Yuan Hanyuan, and Jian Lei to retreat in defeat and injury—was truly magnificent!"

Jiang Hui gave a bitter smile. "It was merely the reckless valor of ordinary men!"

The other burly man, Jiang Chun, snorted harshly, "While the Master of the Red Bean Pavilion certainly lives up to his formidable reputation, and we brothers were injured by him, he must surely suffer for it as well! Our Three-Sun True Physique is not something anyone can endure without consequence! The full might of the 'Three-Sun Soul-Extinguishing' art will only truly manifest after seven days! Ha, it will be enough to keep him recuperating for quite some time!"

Jiang Hui shook his head. "To inflict a thousand injuries upon the enemy while suffering eight hundred of our own—what is there to boast of? Our skills were simply inferior! Inferior to his!"

As they were speaking, a young disciple suddenly walked in and announced, "Senior Brothers, a group of people outside claim to be friends of Junior Brother Ye and have come to pay a visit!"

Liu Ruoming asked in surprise, "Friends of Junior Brother Ye!? But he has neither relatives nor acquaintances in Jiujin City; whence would he have friends!? Did they leave their names?"

The young disciple replied, "They call themselves the Eight Friends of Peach Blossom Source! Their leader goes by the Daoist title of Lv Yunke."

Liu Ruoming paused in astonishment. "The Eight Friends of Peach Blossom Source!? Lv Yunke!? How is it that I have never heard of them?"

Recalling something after a moment of thought, someone asked, "The Eight Friends of Peach Blossom Source!? Could they be those young people who accompanied the monks of Haiguang Temple a few days ago by the shores of Qinglong Lake during the blood sacrifice of the Sage Path of the Accordance Gate? They conversed intimately with Junior Brother Ye afterward. They surely must be old acquaintances; I heard them mention coming to pay a visit around this time. Could it be them?"

Liu Ruoming nodded. "Invite them in so we may find out." Turning to the young disciple, she ordered, "Hurry and bring them in!"

...

The young disciple nodded and withdrew. Before long, he led a group of people into the main hall.

The leader was none other than Lv Yunke. Glancing around, he saw two burly men seated, a young woman standing beside them, and several other youths, but Ye Hua was nowhere in sight. With a gentle smile, he said, "The Eight Friends of Peach Blossom Source pay their respects to our senior brothers and fellow practitioners of the Awakening Hall!"

Liu Ruoming smiled and replied, "This must be Daoist Friend Lv Yunke, is it not? I am Liu Ruoming. These two are Senior Brothers Jiang Hui and Jiang Chun, and this is Senior Brother Zhang."

Behind Lv Yunke, Tian Liang laughed, "We actually have the fortune of knowing these two Jiang Senior Brothers! Today at the Wanghai Tower, both Senior Brothers displayed supreme martial might, and now their renown spreads throughout Jiujin City! There can hardly be anyone who does not know of them."

Jiang Hui laughed heartily. "Suffering defeat at the Wanghai Tower today has left us a laughingstock! How dare we lay claim to supreme martial might? I beg you honorable gentlemen not to mock the two of us!"

Tian Liang smiled faintly. "Senior Brothers are truly too modest." Pausing briefly, he continued, "I heard that the Awakening Hall has concluded a battle pact with the Six Ministries of Northern Xi to engage in a Dharma duel at the Da Quanye Arena! We look forward to witnessing the heroic postures of the two chivalrous heroes when the time comes."

Hearing this, Jiang Hui slowly shook his head and smiled bitterly to himself. Seeing this, Liu Ruoming promptly intervened, "Junior Brother Ye is currently recuperating in peace at the Chunshui Courtyard! Allow me to lead you all over there."

Lv Yunke nodded. Liu Ruoming then took her leave of the others and led the Eight Friends of Peach Blossom Source toward the Chunshui Courtyard. Passing through a stretch of covered corridors and pavilions, they arrived at a secluded courtyard filled with osmanthus trees. Liu Ruoming called out with a smile, "Junior Brother Ye! Look who has come to see you!?"

Ye Hua was sitting cross-legged on the bed, regulating his breath and gathering his inner energy, when he suddenly heard the sound of laughter followed by the approaching patter of hurried footsteps. He immediately stood up and walked briskly toward the entrance, just as someone shouted loudly with a smile, "Junior Brother Ye!"

A wave of joy washed over Ye Hua as he called out, "Senior Brother Lv!" Sure enough, several figures emerged around the doorway, turning out to be Lv Yunke, Tian Liang, and the others of the Eight Friends of Peach Blossom Source, with Liu Ruoming standing before them and watching him with a smiling face.

Upon seeing that Ye Hua's footing appeared somewhat unsteady, Tian Liang cried out in astonishment, "What is this? Junior Brother Ye, have you truly been injured? How are you feeling now?"

Ye Hua smiled and said, "I am already out of danger! How did you senior brothers find the leisure to come here? I was just planning to visit Haiguang Temple in a few days!"

Lv Yunke smiled gently. "I feared we might miss a reunion with Junior Brother Ye, just as we did last time at Yunju Temple on White Ribbon Mountain in the capital. So I thought it best that we come looking for Junior Brother Ye instead!"

Ye Hua flushed slightly and smiled. "You honor me with your presence, making me a laughingstock before you all!"

Lv Yunke chuckled, "We have come here today to take our leave of Junior Brother Ye! In a few days, we shall be heading south to Minzhou."

Ye Hua asked in surprise, "Minzhou! For what purpose are you senior brothers heading to Minzhou?"

Lv Yunke replied, "Our sect sent word: the Mang tribe and the Gulong tribe of the South China Sea have colluded with the ten great demon kings of the Sacred Ma Kingdom on the borders of the Northern Demon Continent, intending to take advantage of the Eastern Sea's Ying demons seizing Cold City to invade the realms of the Lesser South China Sea!"

Tian Liang added, "Guarding the realms of the Lesser SouthChina Sea is the Twenty-First Grotto-Heaven, White Stone Mountain Grotto-Heaven! It spans seven thousand miles in circumference and is named the Realm of Longevity and Ease of Xiule. Located to the south of the South China Sea in Yulin Prefecture, also known as Hanshan County in Yunzhou, it is governed by the True Person of White Stone. That True Person of White Stone is an old family friend of our Master! Therefore, our Master has ordered us to go and investigate."

Ye Hua nodded. "So that is how it is! I originally intended to head to the capital city of Hancheng in a few days, but I never expected such a sudden turn of events here."

Lv Yunke asked, "What manner of turn of events?"

Ye Hua sighed, "Senior Brothers, you must have heard the widespread rumors outside concerning the duel between the Awakening Hall and the Six Ministries of Northern Xi at the Da Quanye Arena."

Lv Yunke smiled. "Indeed, Jiujin City is in an absolute uproar over this matter!"

Ye Hua sighed heavily. "This affair was brought about entirely because of me! I am deeply ashamed."

Lv Yunke asked in astonishment, "May I ask why?"

Ye Hua gave a bitter smile. "It is a long story. Please, Senior Brothers, take your seats, and allow me to tell you from the beginning." Once everyone was seated, Ye Hua recounted everything that had happened: his journey to Jiulong Lake, his time at the Jingji Villa, and his eventual capture by the Sage Path of the Accordance Gate at Qinglong Lake, detailing every single event from start to finish.

Tian Liang sighed, "No wonder both the Accordance Gate and the Six Ministries of Northern Xi were so anxious to contend for you on that day!"

Lv Yunke pondered for a moment before saying, "Presumably, those two Jiang brothers came here for the sake of those three duels. Yet after fighting the people of the Six Ministries of Northern Xi at the Wanghai Tower, they have sustained internal injuries. I fear these three duels now look rather uncertain..."

Liu Ruoming nodded worriedly from the side. "Indeed, since our Senior Brothers Jiang are suffering from internal injuries, we have already lost a fraction of our chances in these three duels."

Lv Yunke nodded in agreement. "Since this began because of Junior Brother Ye, if your alliance lacks suitable candidates, I would like to volunteer myself. Although my Daoist arts are shallow, I believe I should be able to hold my ground against the enemy to some extent!"

A wave of delight washed over Ye Hua. "If that is truly the case, it would be wonderful! With Senior Brother Lv's mastery of the Dao, you are already without an equal within the same realm!"

Lv Yunke smiled modestly, "Junior Brother Ye flatters me too much! Compared to true masters, I am still far behind. If I were still at the sixth layer of the Seven Treasures realm, I would certainly be no match for Junior Brother Ye."

Liu Ruoming, however, had never witnessed Lv Yunke display his Daoist arts and still harbored a trace of skepticism in her heart. Yet seeing how highly Ye Hua regarded him, she smiled and said, "That could not be better! I shall go and inform the other senior brothers at once! Let them know that a true expert has arrived, and they may set their minds at ease!"

Tian Liang laughed, "The eight of us brothers call ourselves the Eight Friends of Peach Blossom Source, and my eldest brother's cultivation is the most profound of us all. If he steps forward, all of you honorable folk of the Awakening Hall may set aside a major portion of your worries!"

Overjoyed, Liu Ruoming repeatedly said, "Splendid, splendid...! Please rest here for a moment, Senior Brothers! I shall go and inform the others right away. I will return shortly, and I beg you all not to take offense. Your junior sister offers her deepest apologies here!" With that, she bowed gracefully from the waist.

Tian Liang smiled, "Junior Sister Liu, there is no need for such formalities!"

After offering another bow, Liu Ruoming turned and left. Lv Yunke turned his gaze back to Ye Hua and asked, "Junior Brother Ye, according to what you said earlier, did you pierce the dantian energy sea of the Western cultivator who called himself Baalmonte with a single strike?"

Ye Hua nodded. "Indeed. That cultivator was utterly insidious; had I hesitated by even a fraction of a breath, he would have cleaved my body in two with his sword. Driven to anger, I had no choice but to strike with such heavy force."

Lv Yunke pondered for a long while before speaking. "Since that Baalmonte is the only son of the commander of Greater Gerane, I have heard elders of Haiguang Temple speak of him before. He is proficient in an art known as the 'Three-Origin Hidden Water of Chi,' specializing in concealment and ambush tactics. Yet that very art is also known as the 'Return of the Three Souls to the Sage.' How could he perish so easily? Ordinary wounds are certainly not enough to cause his death! When you say you shattered his dantian energy sea, at most it must have been a severe injury; it should not have been enough to scatter his soul and shatter his spirit. There may well be hidden circumstances behind this!"

Ye Hua smiled bitterly. "Even so, the Six Ministries of Northern Xi have already pinned the crime of murder upon my head. Yet what have I to fear? My only regret is causing trouble and worry for all my senior brothers, for which I am truly mortified."