Fang Xunzhuo did not have good intentions, and the people from the Fen Feather Sect were well aware of this. However, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, they could not find a reason to refuse him.
The only one who could make the decision was Fan Shuping, the one the Fen Feather Sect disciples called Senior Brother, and also their only member at the fifth layer of Qi Refining. He shot a few cold, sideways glances at Fang Xunzhuo, his movements subtle so as not to be noticed.
After a moment of deliberation, he finally spoke, "Fellow Daoist, please speak."
"Senior Brother!"
The other disciples dared not disobey, but the young woman in the yellow skirt who had previously confronted Zhao Chun leaned against Fan Shuping's side and grumbled through clenched teeth. Even a bystander could tell that the two of them were closer than others, to say nothing of Zhao Chun.
Looking closely, there was even a slight resemblance between the features of Fan Shuping and the female disciple. It was likely a kinship of blood, unrelated to romantic love. Zhao Chun's guess was not wrong.
The yellow-skirted girl was indeed a blood relative of Fan Shuping, but they were not brother and sister. Rather, they were related as aunt and nephew. She shared the surname Zhao, and her personal name was Zhanqian.
Both the Fan and Zhao families had a Foundation Establishment cultivator, who held extraordinary status in the Fen Feather Sect. The two families had been on good terms, and after their two Foundation Establishment cultivators were joined by marriage, they were even more inclined to advance and retreat together.
Zhao Zhanqian was a daughter born late in life in her family, giving her a very high generational standing. Doted on by her ancestors since childhood, she was raised to be willful and spoiled. Later, when she was found to possess a spiritual root, she naturally entered the Fen Feather Sect and became Fan Shuping's Junior Sister.
Because she felt that the titles of 'aunt' and 'paternal cousin's son' were strange, they simply called each other Senior and Junior Sister.
"Don't be anxious..."
Fan Shuping gently steadied her. Although he had no confidence in his own heart, he still softly comforted this "Junior Sister."
"... Let's just see what he plans to do."
Fang Xunzhuo stared straight ahead, pretending not to have seen their interaction. He took out a long, rectangular jade box from his robes. Flipping open the jade lid, he revealed a spiritual object in the form of a flowering branch.
Its bud was closed, only slightly blossoming at the very tip. On each side of the slender stem was an oval leaf, as thin as a cicada's wing. The entire spiritual plant—flower, leaves, and stem—was a mysterious purple, as translucent and sparkling as agate, and it overflowed with radiant light.
Everyone craned their necks, wanting a closer look, but Fang Xunzhuo closed the jade lid with a flick of his hand. The radiance before their eyes vanished instantly, leaving only a trace of a strange fragrance at the tips of their noses. Suddenly, the atmosphere on the spot changed.
The breathing of the cultivators around Zhao Chun grew heavier, their hearts pounding like thunder. Some of them didn't know what this object was, but just from seeing the spiritual light of the herb, they could tell it was extraordinary.
Unbearable greed rose in their hearts, and their gazes turned dark, firmly locking onto the jade box in Fang Xunzhuo's hand. If there were some who were ignorant, there were naturally also those who were knowledgeable, such as the several powerful auras that had suddenly appeared on the ship, and also, for example, Zhao Chun...
In the Drifting Clouds World, the land was vast with abundant resources, and its vegetation was lush. Various spiritual objects were distributed unevenly. A great cultivator had once roamed the world, recording a compendium of a hundred spiritual objects for disciples to read and broaden their knowledge.
Zhao Chun happened to have several such books in her residence. Whenever she was tired and regulating her breath, she would casually pick one up and read it to distract herself. If her memory served her right, this item was called the Amethyst Spirit Branch.
It was quite special even in the book, classifiable as both a spiritual herb and a spiritual ore. It grew like a flower, yet its entire body was like gold and jade. It often grew within earth veins, absorbing spiritual qi to saturation, making it extremely precious.
Because it had absorbed its fill of spiritual qi, even when picked in time, it was as if it were merely sleeping; its vital essence had not dissipated. It was precisely by relying on this thread of vital essence that it could take in a wisp of spiritual qi and then release it from the flower's mouth.
This wisp of spiritual qi could then travel to the object the cultivator was seeking. However, the object being sought needed to bear a trace of the cultivator themselves, so it could not be used to find another person's belongings. This function perfectly suited Fan Shuping's situation of having lost his spiritual artifact.
If Fang Xunzhuo lent out the Amethyst Spirit Branch, resolving the suspicion would no longer be difficult. Zhao Chun's gaze shifted, and she sized him up and down a few times. Since he possessed such a spiritual object and knew of this function, it was impossible that he didn't know its other uses.
If the Amethyst Spirit Branch only had the ability to find objects, how could it cause even late-stage Qi Refining cultivators to hold their breath in concentration? The book said that this was a natural spiritual item, with the common name of "Earth Vein Affinity."
It could be used as a treasure for Foundation Establishment for metal and wood attribute cultivators, but even using it as a spiritual foundation would be a waste of its potential. There was a critical juncture in the Core Formation Stage called Soul Light Division. After breaking through, one could enter the Profound Division Stage.
When an ordinary cultivator broke through this gate, they would obtain a Protective Spirit Light. But there were three other strange lights that surpassed it: the Revolving Vital Treasure Light, the Grand Dominion Heaven and Earth Light, and the Creation Divine Ability Light. Only those with great fate could obtain them.
If a Core Formation Stage cultivator had the help of the Amethyst Spirit Branch, they could obtain the Revolving Vital Treasure Light and achieve a superior Profound Division. This was the true function of the "Earth Vein Affinity," something that even Core Formation cultivators would covet!
For Fang Xunzhuo to dare take it out so boldly, he must have already prepared a way out... Zhao Chun paused slightly. Recalling his status as a rogue cultivator, her confusion was suddenly cleared.
She cursed inwardly, so he had planned it all out from the start, coming here with a specific goal in mind. Fang Xunzhuo did not mention the name of the Amethyst Spirit Branch, only simply explaining its item-seeking function to Fan Shuping, offering the name of the "Four-Way Wanderer of Green Aid" as a guarantee.
Then he looked at Zhao Chun. Her eyes were sharp and cunning. With a glance, Fang Xunzhuo knew this young lady had already perceived some of the inside story.
This made him feel her identity was even more extraordinary. He smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist, since you were accidentally dragged into this matter, why not act as a witness? It would also serve to clear both of our names, how about it?"
Zhao Chun was also quite interested to see what tricks he was up to. She took a step forward and said, "I can." She then cupped her hands towards the Fen Feather Sect disciples.
"I am Zhao Chun, a disciple of the Hidden Valley of the True Spirit Sect. I will stake my reputation as a guarantee that this item indeed has the effect Fellow Daoist Fang described."
The True Spirit Sect had a Profound Division cultivator presiding over it, so it was considered a major sect, and it once had a formidable reputation in the Southern Region. On the great ship, seventy to eighty percent of the people knew of this sect, which happened to include the disciples of the Fen Feather Sect.
Seeing her announce her sect with such firm and resolute words, they lowered their guard a little. Zhao Chun sighed inwardly. The gazes of these few disciples were upright and clear.
Although they were sincere people, they were also the most easily swayed by emotions. Before, they had been quite hostile towards her, but now, knowing she was also a sect disciple, their anger had dissipated considerably, even if they couldn't be sure if she was telling the truth. The path of cultivation is treacherous and ever-changing.
With this kind of temperament, they needed much more experience, otherwise their road ahead... would likely not be a long one. Fang Xunzhuo didn't sigh about such things. He just looked at the young disciples, sneered inwardly at their foolishness, and said aloud, "The owner of the bottle can pass a wisp of spiritual qi into this item of mine.
After a short while, that wisp of spiritual qi will float towards the bottle's location." Half-believing, half-doubting, Fan Shuping held his hand over the jade box. When Fang Xunzhuo opened the lid, he drew a wisp of spiritual qi from his dantian and sent it into the Amethyst Spirit Branch.
In less than a moment, just an instant later, a wisp of pale purple qi elegantly drifted out from the opening at the tip of the flower bud. It first circled around Fan Shuping's waist for a moment, then floated up gracefully, slowly drifted off the great ship, and crossed into the sea of clouds.
"As you can see, the bottle is indeed not on my brothers or me," Fang Xunzhuo said, closing the jade box and shaking his head.
The anger of the Fen Feather Sect disciples flared up again. They first looked at Zhao Chun and saw her nod in agreement with this statement. Zhao Zhanqian then furiously stepped forward and shouted petulantly, "The treasure is yours, and its function is what you say it is!
The result is naturally decided by you! How can this count?" As she spoke, she was about to step forward to snatch the jade box, saying, "I think this is just a fake!
Something you little thieves are using to fool us!" Fang Xunzhuo hadn't expected her to be so unreasonable. He tucked away the jade box and was about to make a move, but suddenly felt the entire area fall silent.
A voice drifted down from the heavens.
"Ignorant child, unable to recognize a treasure. This farce you've made has gone on long enough. It's time to stop. All of you, come up and speak with me!"
The voice was deep and gentle, yet heavy with might. Li Shushang was inferior to it, and only Qiu Jianying's aura was barely comparable. Zhao Chun's brow furrowed.
It seemed a Great Cultivator of the late Core Formation Stage had made a move.
(End of this chapter)