Chapter Fifty-Eight: Misfortune, the Source of Blessing

You two are certainly at leisure, still playing chess here.

Standing behind Zhao Jian, he picked up a piece from outside the board and placed it on the chessboard. With a crisp sound, the piece landed, and the old general, who had just been blocked by Qian Chuan, was immediately checkmated.

“Tianxiong Tu, what are you doing? Don’t think you can do as you please just because you’re the disciple of our sect. Even a cornered rabbit will bite,” he said, flipping over the chessboard.

The chess pieces clattered and rolled all over the floor, filling the room with a tinkling sound. The three of them looked at each other. Tu Tianxiong, seeing Qian Chuan was angry, didn’t care at all.

Instead, he bent down, picked up the scattered chess pieces one by one, and slowly restored the game to its previous state.

“See that, Qian Chuan? An outside piece, just one move, and you lose. No matter how perfect your plan is, you can’t withstand an unexpected variable.”

After speaking, he glanced at the other two and tapped the chessboard.

“Senior Brother Tu, if you have something to say, please be direct. Zhao Jian is willing to do his part for Senior Brother Xiong. As they say, fellow disciples share both hardships and blessings. I, Zhao Jian, will not shirk my duty.”

“Zhao Jian, Qian Chuan, for a hundred years, the inner sect has been dominated by the three of us, no matter how many new factions are formed. We’ve never paid them any mind. But this time, we can’t be careless. Recently, a new power has emerged in the sect, calling itself the New Faction. You may not have heard of it, but I have some intelligence here. Take a look and you’ll understand.”

With that, Tu Tianxiong produced a dossier and placed it on the table. The pages were filled with both text and illustrations—a beautiful building, as if designed from a dream, something they’d never seen or even heard of before. It made them itch to see it in person.

“Senior Brother, where is this house built? I want to see it,” Qian Chuan exclaimed, unable to contain his admiration at the picture, barely glancing at the text. Such a beautiful structure, he yearned to witness its splendor.

Tu Tianxiong remained silent, but Zhao Jian pointed to the name on the intelligence report—three large characters. Dao Sansheng. He couldn’t be more familiar with that name; Tu Tianxiong had mentioned that person to him countless times.

“Could it be him?” Qian Chuan asked.

“Exactly. Dao Sansheng is the leader of the newly established inner sect faction, the New Faction, and our strongest rival.”

Seeing that the other two understood, Tu Tianxiong quickly put the documents away. All of this was internal sect intelligence, and even he only had access by borrowing his master’s authority.

“Senior Brother, I’m with Zhao Jian. Just tell us what to do. Our Artifact Pavilion will follow your lead.”

“I don’t have a detailed plan yet, but I do have an idea. This fellow has stirred up quite a commotion at the trade fair. I’m sure all sorts of sect powers in Zixian City will approach him—either to recruit him or to cause trouble. If someone tries to recruit him, we’ll go to our masters or the elders and accuse him of selling sect assets. If he offends others, we’ll report that he’s making enemies for our sect. Either way, he’ll be abandoned like a chess piece, because our sect is too weak. In front of the great clans, we have no bargaining power and can only be at their mercy.”

After listening to Tu Tianxiong’s explanation, the other two understood clearly. Dao Sansheng must be eliminated to prevent future complications and protect the influence they’d worked so hard to build. These were the very tools they needed to gain a voice in the sect’s affairs.

“Good. We’ll follow Senior Brother Tu’s lead. I can’t let the power my master entrusted to me be lost in my hands. Qian Chuan, isn’t that so? If you lose what your master left you, he’ll surely be displeased.”

Dao Sansheng was still oblivious to all this, lost in the joy of his breakthrough—a double blessing, though fortune and misfortune often come hand in hand.

In Zixian City, Zixian County, the great clans had assembled. This trade fair was jointly organized by the leading families of the continent. Rather than a trade fair, it was more like a private gathering of Zixian Palace’s inner circle.

In recent years, resources of every kind had been monopolized by these families and Zixian Palace. Zixian Palace had essentially taken control of the continent’s major spirit stone mines and the most valuable mineral resources, so the sect’s influence was thriving.

Everyone at the gathering was exquisitely dressed, beauties were everywhere. Originally, the meeting was scheduled for a month later as a prelude to the trade fair, but it had to be brought forward—everyone had received news.

A magnificent cement structure had risen overnight, stunning the continent. With crowds flocking to Zixian City for the fair, and with only a river separating Zixian City from Qiuchi City, news was impossible to ignore.

A portly man, shaped like a powder keg, with a head of fiery red hair and a body as round as a ball, stood there. His face was so fleshy that his chin was invisible, his neck buried beneath layers of fat. The sagging flesh on his face shook as he laughed. He reached for the hair of a nearby beautiful maid, but his arms were so short he could barely manage the motion. The maid spun away, and the fat man nearly toppled over.

After steadying himself, the fat man’s red hair seemed ready to ignite with anger as he pointed at the maid.

“Drag her away! Extract her soul and place it in the soul lamp. She’ll keep me company forever!”

No one among the attendants responded, but they were clearly used to such outbursts and showed no fear, instead responding with enthusiasm.

“Look, the powder keg is set off again! Hahaha…”

A tall, lean young man set down his teacup and looked at the furious fat man, laughing. His voice was so resonant it filled the hall, everyone heard it clearly.

“Zichen Yu, if not for your father’s sake, I’d have thrown you out by now. You idle good-for-nothing, you even show up at gatherings like this.”

Zichen Yu didn’t reply. Instead, he walked over, took the maid’s trembling, icy hand in his own warm grasp. The poor girl, terrified by the fat man’s words, felt her heart suddenly flutter at the young master’s touch.

“I’ve taken a liking to this maid. Uncle, please let me have her. I apologize for what I said earlier.”

Zichen Yu’s sudden change in attitude left the fat man stunned. This fellow had always been idle—a spendthrift, a gambler, disrespectful to elders, indifferent to cultivation and the family’s enterprise. His father had long since given up on him.

“You can have the maid, but if you have nothing else to do, you should leave. This isn’t a place for your drinking and gambling. We still have serious matters to discuss.”

“Gentlemen, I visited Qiuchi City and saw that building. It is indeed beautiful. If you trust me, I’m willing to act as your envoy. Without bloodshed, I can help you win this person over.”

Among the guests, a dignified man in a black brocade robe stood up, nodding approvingly at Zichen Yu and raising his wine cup.

“Gentlemen, if you’ll indulge my son Zichen Yu, let him have a try. Who knows, he might just surprise us. I’ll drink first in your honor.”

With that, he drained his cup.