Remember the official site: 𝕥𝕨𝕜𝕒𝕟.𝕔𝕠𝕞 That night, the Benevolent Gambling King met Chu Huaixu for the first time. “I told you not to mention the Storyteller to anyone. Just say you’ve never met him.” The Sixth Elder was very satisfied with this answer, and also pleased with the attitude. Unexpectedly, what the other party said turned out to be true! “He really damn well hasn’t seen him!!!” This Dao Gate’s Sixth Elder couldn’t help but curse in his heart. Looking back on everything, Li Chunsong felt a tingling sensation on his scalp. He had always held a very good impression of Chu Huaixu. Among all the higher-ups, he and Chu Yinyin were the closest to him. “Ever since he came up the mountain, I’ve been winning every single gamble thanks to him!” “So this is the trap!” Everyone stared at him in unison and clearly saw the change in Li Chunsong’s expression. At this moment, he looked as if he had been struck by lightning. It was an awful look—his expression was truly dreadful. Because this matter was of great importance, involving the Dao Ancestor’s words and the Great Calamity of Heaven and Earth, Li Chunsong didn’t dare to hide anything. He appeared particularly honest: Facing Little Martial Uncle’s questioning, his face turned completely red, an unprecedented embarrassment, and he said: “I warned Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang not to speak of encountering a Storyteller down the mountain…” A trace of murderous intent flashed through Jiang Zhi’s eyes upon hearing this. Killing intent arose. “You told them not to mention it, and then this guy named Chu Huaixu just played dumb? Logically, he should’ve looked confused, right? But there wasn’t anything unusual about him?” He cast a cold glance at Li Chunsong. —This boy definitely has a problem! Everyone understood Little Martial Uncle’s temperament and could tell what he meant. But having spent some time with Chu Huaixu, everyone had grown to appreciate the boy and began to speak up in his defense. The magnanimous Nangong Yue was the first to speak: “Little Martial Uncle, Chu Huaixu is still just a youth. Suddenly being brought into the Dao Gate by a great cultivator could be a once-in-a-lifetime encounter for him. It’s normal for him to be dumbfounded.” “That’s right, Little Martial Uncle. We’ve been observing the boy all this time. He’s got a good temperament.” Even Sect Master Xiang Yan voiced his support. Lu Pan, the most impartial Enforcement Elder in the sect, spoke bluntly: “Little Martial Uncle, I quite admire this kid as well.” Jiang Zhi ignored the others and simply glanced at Lu Pan: “Even you say that?” That did catch him a bit off guard. But still, a seed of suspicion had already been planted in his heart. Seeing this, Li Chunsong took a deep breath. He knew very well that if Little Martial Uncle had set his sights on Chu Huaixu, the boy wouldn’t have an easy time ahead. What’s more, this was his future grandmaster. He knew it was time for him to take the fall. This Dao Gate’s Sixth Elder said, “Well… everyone.” All eyes turned to him. Li Chunsong’s old face turned so red it looked like it might bleed—it was too humiliating. “Actually, after I warned them, Chu Huaixu directly said to me… ‘This disciple has never seen any Storyteller.’” “But I misunderstood what he meant. I thought the kid was just being glib, using this way to express himself.” Google seaʀᴄh 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝗇𝖾𝗍 “This matter is serious, and I dare not conceal anything.” As soon as he finished speaking, silence fell over the Purple Bamboo Forest. Everyone finally understood. Only now did they realize how laughable some of their recent discussions had been. They had been debating whether the Dao Ancestor’s words were wrong, or whether Little Martial Uncle had erred? Turns out it was you, Li Chunsong, who was dead wrong! The expressions on everyone’s faces were basically: dumbfounded—dumbfounded—furious—dumbfounded... White-robed Jiang Zhi flew into a rage. In his old age, he had been cultivating his temperament and suppressing his killing intent. But now, he lost control on the spot. The Dao Gate’s Little Martial Uncle pointed at Li Chunsong and began to scold: “You! Old Six! Well done! Just brilliant!” “I asked you to receive someone, and you couldn’t even get that right.” “You can’t even understand what a youngster is saying!” Seeing that he was about to take action against Li Chunsong, everyone quickly tried to step in with kind words. But unexpectedly, Little Martial Uncle swept his gaze across everyone and unleashed a group scolding. “You lot! All of you!” “Each and every one of you—none of you are innocent!” What Jiang Zhi said wasn’t wrong. Indeed, due to a series of mishaps, one thing led to another, and even the Second Elder who wasn’t on the mountain couldn’t escape blame. But at a time , Chu Yinyin, who had been brought here, was about to play her original role. This most pampered Little Junior Sister of the Dao Gate instantly got upset. “Little Martial Uncle, you can’t say that!” “It’s not entirely our fault, right?” “Who told you, when you sent that message back, not to include their names or appearances?” “Then after everything happened, you didn’t return to the sect and kept roaming around down the mountain.” Chu Yinyin launched into a rapid-fire barrage. If it had been a normal day, everyone would’ve already scolded her, habitually saying, “Little Junior Sister, mind your words!” But today was different. Little Junior Sister, speak up for us! Everyone felt the same deep down. In such a situation, no one was blameless—including Little Martial Uncle. At that moment, Chu Yinyin wasn’t done speaking yet. She even brought up her already deceased master. Among the disciples of the Gentleman Temple in Jiang Zhi’s generation, Chu Yinyin’s master was ranked ninth—Jiang Zhi’s Ninth Senior Sister—and also his… beloved. He had always doted on Chu Yinyin; in truth, it was affection extended from loving the house and its crow. This was also one of the reasons why this “old little girl” had dared to speak so brazenly to such a peerlessly murderous freak since she was young. She truly had a childish temperament, yet was spoiled by his favor. Of course, it was also because even when she was still a real little girl, she often watched her own master scold Little Martial Uncle. At this moment, Chu Yinyin said, “My master often said that you like to mystify simple matters, always turning things complicated. You’re never reliable when handling affairs. Deep down, you’re just a big kid! A playful one!” “And also, she said your name fits you well—Jiang Zhi, Jiang Zhi—always about to arrive, but never really arriving!” “If you had returned just half a month earlier, things might have still had a chance to turn around…” As she went on and on, Jiang Zhi’s face grew darker and darker. Everyone quickly held their tongues, thinking she really shouldn’t continue. “Little Junior Sister! Mind your words!” That departed Ninth Senior Sister was a sore spot in Little Martial Uncle’s heart. Dressed in a pristine white robe and with an utterly ordinary face, Jiang Zhi’s expression constantly shifted, as a graceful silhouette surfaced in his mind’s eye. —To love and be separated, to desire and not attain, to be unable to let go. At last, he flicked his sleeve and sighed deeply. “Forget it. Ninth Senior Sister was right. Perhaps the problem really does lie with me.” “But you, Li Chunsong, are not without blame either!” “When the time comes, you’ll accompany me to the Enforcement Court to receive punishment—three lashes of the Thunder Whip!” He glared at Li Chunsong. The degenerate gambler hurriedly replied, “Yes!” He was already quite satisfied that the matter could be settled just like that. Jiang Zhi looked at the relieved expression on his face and couldn’t help but say: “Li Chunsong, this matter concerns the First Layer of the Origin Spirit Realm and relates to the Great Calamity of Heaven and Earth.” “If we fail to hold the First Layer at that time…” “Neither you nor I can bear the karma involved!” “You and I will both be sinners of this Xuanhuang Realm!” These words were heavy, yet no one could refute them. The karma involved here was indeed too weighty. Little Martial Uncle looked at everyone and speculated, “So, Han Shuangjiang, Xu Ziqing, and this Chu Huaixu fellow have all been to Hidden Spirit Mountain, haven’t they?” “You’d best tell me now that Xu Ziqing has already successfully taken the sword and that nothing has gone wrong.” If that were the case, then despite all the twists and turns, the mistaken paths, things had ultimately returned to the right track. Every step was wrong, but the ending was right. Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances. Sect Master Xiang Yan answered on behalf of everyone. “Little Martial Uncle, the sword has indeed already been taken by Xu Ziqing.” “That’s good.” Jiang Zhi finally let out a breath. “The Dao Ancestor’s words cannot be wrong, and I certainly did not find the wrong person down the mountain.” He had always believed he had wisdom within grasp—but today, that pearl of wisdom had been dropped and picked up, only to be dropped again. Chu Yinyin even brought up what her master had said. Frankly, he also wanted to move past this. However, Xiang Yan immediately added, “But it seems… there’s still a bit of a problem.” Clack—the wisdom pearl dropped again. So this matter really can’t be flipped over, huh? In the Purple Bamboo Forest, as Jiang Zhi listened to everyone speaking one after another, he finally pieced together Xu Ziqing’s current situation. “So, that special quota on the Charred-black Wooden Token—you didn’t give it to him?” He pointed at Xiang Yan. Xiang Yan nodded awkwardly. “And then, because of some expectations from that damned senior brother of his, the kid actually chose a body training cultivation method, and earned the right to ascend the mountain through eating pills and relying on his physique?” “The Heaven’s Mandated One, a Sword Attendant meant to cultivate the ‘Sword Nurturing Art,’ ended up becoming a full-fledged body cultivator all because of this Chu Huaixu?!” “And, when the sword spirit was split in two by the Dao Ancestor’s restriction and surged into his Spirit Embryo, due to the Xuantian Embryo Breathing Pill that Chu Huaixu gave him, it was no longer a False Spirit Embryo?” “Utter nonsense! Complete and utter nonsense!” Why is he involved everywhere? Why is this variable present everywhere? But very soon, a flash of realization shot through his mind. He suddenly thought of something. “Wait a moment, Chu Yinyin, you said earlier that the Xuantian Embryo Breathing Pill Chu Huaixu had was your meeting gift to him.” “Why did you choose to give him that pill?” “Could it be, he’s a Lower-grade Spirit Embryo? Or even a False Spirit Embryo?” There were so many treasures suitable for low-level cultivators—why give a spiritual pill, and end up causing such a disaster? “Little Martial Uncle, let me explain. When he first came up the mountain, he was a False Spirit Embryo,” Li Chunsong answered in her stead. They were just about to explain all the great disturbances Chu Huaixu had stirred up during this time—but Jiang Zhi waved his hand to stop them. “No need. Bring that damned Chu Huaixu here to see me,” he directly ordered. He wanted to see for himself—what kind of person this variable truly was! “Alright, I’ll go fetch him.” Chu Yinyin immediately prepared to depart. She was smug beyond belief, determined to bring her treasured disciple over and give Little Martial Uncle a good shock—maybe even scare him half to death! But then, Jiang Zhi turned sarcastic, pointing at Li Chunsong and saying, “Old Six, you go fetch him. This time, don’t mistake Chu Huaixu and bring someone else back, alright?” “No, no.” Li Chunsong blushed again and left, covering his face. “I really want to see this ‘good disciple’ you all took in on my behalf!” Even as he said it, his tone made it clear what he meant. Not long after, Chu Huaixu—who had no idea what was going on—was brought into the Purple Bamboo Forest. Jiang Zhi looked up and shot him a cold glance. Thankfully, they were some distance apart—otherwise, he’d have to look up at him. This kid—tall, handsome. —Little Martial Uncle instantly disliked him.