Immortal of the Nine Realms

Chapter 105: The Ji Family’s Offering

”A sound akin to thunder has been reverberating throughout Fang Manor for days now...”

”Perhaps Divine General Fang is cultivating his Lightning Palm.”

”Sigh. I heard that the guards of the Fang Manor are going to train with the Frost Water Empire. I wonder what the outcome will be.”

”What could the outcome possibly be? Calling it ‘an exercise is just plain euphemism at this point. The Frost Water Empire’s envoy clearly wants to use this as an excuse to suppress Divine General Fang and settle the score regarding Zhou Xiu...”

It seemed that these days, the people in the capital city passed their day gossiping and whispering amongst themselves. Whenever anyone passed by the Fang Manor, there would only be one topic that their mouths kept on about.

While most of the common populace were unaware of the details of what was happening inside the manor, many high-level figures in the empire had mobilized their spies in order to try and gather any useful information they could get their hands on from within the manor.

The imperial palace.

Ji Lengyue stood quietly in a courtyard as he watched the Nightmare Knights train. Despite facing the ninth-tier Grand Xia Empire, they couldn’t afford to be careless; the phantom of the sixth-tier Flame Empire seemed to cast a shadow over the hearts of everyone present, and unease was strife amongst them.

”This is everything Fang Chen has done, my lord.” One of the Nightmare Knights approached Ji Lengyue and handed him a report.

Ji Lengyue browsed through it, and his brow slightly furrowed. ”Since the day he killed the commander of the Wolf Army of the Qingsong Empire, he showed no signs of holding back. After five long years, he finally decided to bare his fangs again.”

Then there were incidents like him killing Zhou Xiu, followed by the beheading of Marquis Xian Yu. During Grand Xia’s stand against the Longdu Empire, mysterious experts had intervened, assisting Grand Xia and stabilizing the situation, which allowed them to easily repel Longdu forces. In the end, everything fell back to Fang Chen.

”These actions seem to be carried out by Fang Chen,” said Ji Lengyue slowly, ”but it should be actually all Li Daoye’s doing; only he has such capabilities. He’s the cultivator from the sixth-tier empire, after all.”

”My lord, cultivators have always viewed ordinary people as ants. Even martial artists can’t get the respect they deserve in front of them. Why is he willing to stay in the Fang Manor? It seems like he is doing everything in his power to assist Fang Chen,” whispered a Nightmare Knight.

Ji Lengyue shook his head slightly. ”We don’t know why he’s willing to assist Fang Chen for the time being,” he said. ”I had thought that it would be easy to avenge Zhou Xiu as well as suppress Grand Xia at the same time. I didn’t expect that a cultivator would suddenly jump into the picture.

“But whatever it is, someone has already gone back to relay the message to the family. Frost Water Empire might not have any cultivators, but my Ji Family supports one. Once the patriarch receives the news, he will definitely request for the cultivator to head over to the Grand Xia Empire.” His eyes narrowed. “Alas... the price of mobilizing a cultivator is too high!”

The Nightmare Knight’s eyes suddenly lit up. As an elder of the Ji family, he naturally knew about the existence of that cultivator; he had even met him together with the Ji Family Patriarch. The cultivator’s abilities were indeed unfathomable. If that old man was willing to come to Grand Xia, he wouldn’t fear the cultivator from the sixth-tier Flame Empire.

In the void, Fang Chen’s divine soul quietly listened to the conversation between the two. When he learned that the Ji Family supported a cultivator, many of his doubts were cleared up.

”No wonder the Ji family can find Nightmare Warhorses and has thrived in recent years to the point where they were able to directly confront the royal family as well as control half of the Frost Water Empire.”

A faint smile appeared in Fang Chen’s eyes. It was more than likely that the Ji Family wasn’t the only family in an empire supporting a cultivator, families in eighth and seventh-tier empires could also be supporting cultivators of their own.

However, the abilities and backgrounds of those cultivators were probably at the bottom of the cultivation world. Cultivators needed cultivation resources to thrive. The reason why empires of the ninth, eighth, and seventh-tier held their current positions was largely due to the lack of cultivation resources in the territories they occupied.

For example, the Grand Xia Empire didn’t have any other cultivation resources other than that spiritual spring. He had never even seen half a spirit stone in his entire life here. Grand Xia simply didn’t have the ability to support any cultivator. They couldn’t even gather a measly amount of low-grade spirit stones to offer them each year. There was absolutely no cultivator in the world who’d be willing to accept such a low price!

The Frost Water Empire might be a little more well off compared to the Grand Xia, that was why the Ji Family had the ability to support a cultivator of its own. Still, from Ji Lengyue’s words, it was evident that the cost of doing so was quite painful for them.

Any cultivator with a bit of strength and background wouldn’t stay in a place like that. Those who stay are probably those who can’t make it in the cultivation world, thought Fang Chen.

However... I still cannot rule out the possibility that that cultivator isn’t from the Spirit Blood Sect... There was even a chance that the Foundation Establishment Realm expert is in the Frost Water Empire!

The probability was low, but it nonetheless existed. Fang Chen planned to take this opportunity and probe further.

With one final glance at Ji Lengyue, Fang Chen’s divine soul traversed the void and instantly arrived at the crown prince’s manor.

The manor was bustling today; many famous scholars and talented women from the capital city were present. They enjoyed fine wine, ate succulent delicacies, conversed about current affairs, and occasionally composed poetry.

Tao Yu, Ye Qinghe, and company were there. Fang Chen even saw Li Huafeng, the son of the Prime Minister. He seemed to be drunk with success at the moment; it was clear that he had reached the Qi Manipulation Stage from his vigorous internal energy.

Fang Chen’s gaze flickered.

When he had returned to the capital city, he learned from Zhao Sixing that Li Huafeng had advanced into the Qi Manipulation Stage.

Since Fang Chen was the one who had inflicted those injuries Li Huanfeng used to carry, he knew more than anyone how bad they were, and he was most clear of Li Huafeng’s chances at advancing to the Qi Manipulation Stage. But strangely enough, Li Huafeng’s hidden injuries were now nowhere to be seen—completely healed. And his cultivation had even advanced to the Qi Manipulation Stage.

This was not normal, and Fang Chen could smell trouble.

Taking a sip of wine from his glass, Li Huafeng looked at Xia Yu, a smile tugging at his eyes. ”Why does the crown prince seem so troubled? Now that the Frost Water Empire has intervened, there’s no way Fang Chen can escape punishment.”

”Yeah, Fang Chen is arrogant and despotic. His actions have caused the Frost Water Empire to view us in a bad light, and they’ve come knocking for questioning. Fortunately, the envoy from the Frost Water Empire only intends to punish Fang Chen sololy, the cause of all the trouble in the first place.”

”It’s going to be great without Fang Chen in the city!”

Many people chimed in.

Xia Yu looked at everyone and sighed inwardly. None of them knew what had happened in the Hall of Supreme Harmony the other day. They were unaware that the Fang Manor actually had a cultivator from the sixth-tier Flame Empire assisting him.

The news had been sealed by the emperor, and even the crown prince’s most trusted aides, like Tao Mingsheng, dared not inform their own family members.

As the deputy chief of the Grand Brilliance Bureau, Li Huafeng should have been present in the Hall of Supreme Harmony that day. However, he happened to have recently broken through to the Qi Manipulation Stage and was immersed in martial cultivation. As a result, he took a leave of absence and hadn’t attended court. Therefore, he was unaware of this news.

”There are some things you don’t understand,” Xia Yu said, lifting his wine glass and taking a sip. ”Tell me; what are the chances of Fang Chen obtaining a victory during the military exercise with the Frost Water Empire?”

”He’s not a deity. The guards of the Fang Manor don’t have a chance of winning against the Nightmare Knights,” Ye Qinghe said with a hint of disdain. ”Even if he personally takes the field, it’s useless. I heard that the envoy from the Frost Water Empire is a martial artist at the Earth Profound Stage. His internal energy can render Fang Chen powerless.”

Everyone nodded, their eyes revealing a hint of envy and admiration for Ji Lengyue’s status and strength. Even though Xia Yu was the crown prince of the Grand Xia Empire, his status was far inferior to Ji Lengyue’s.

Xia Yu frowned in contemplation. ”But if there’s no chance of victory, why would he issue the challenge so easily?”

It was then that Li Huafeng interjected Xia Yu in a hushed voice, saying, ”Your Highness, do you happen to still have more of that medicine you gave me?” He seemed hopeful. “When I took that thing, I felt my blood and energy increase by multiple folds. If I am able to enter the Qi Core Stage in the future... I won’t have to care about Fang Chen anymore!”

But hushed as his voice was, it didn’t escape Fang Chen.

Medicine? Given by the Crown Prince?

A cold light flashed in Fang Chen’s eyes.

For some reason, Xia Yu felt a shiver run down his spine at that moment, but he shook it off. ”Those are not easily obtained. The person who made them is not in the capital city at the moment. Let’s talk about it when he returns.”

”Is Xia Yu colluding with the Spirit Blood Sect?” pondered Fang Chen. Although, he honestly didn’t find it that surprising.