Chapter 62: Trust (Patreon)

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“Xiao Nan gave me a mission before he left.”

“My cousin thinks Wu Yan will use his position to favor the Yun Sect by sabotaging our disciples, doesn’t he?”

Liu Jin is left blinking in mute shock. The expression Xiao Fang gives him in return is decidedly unimpressed.

“Should I feel insulted that you look so surprised? Why else would you be chosen to participate? I will not deny you are strong, but if we only consider cultivation, I can think of a few Inner Disciples who are stronger and more experienced than you. Your medical skills are the only thing that would elevate you over them.”

Liu Jin cocks his head to the side.

“You acknowledge my medical skills?” 

Xiao Fang crosses his arms. 

“Even if I didn’t before, I’d have to be blind not to do so after today. Do you have any idea how hard it is to examine someone’s meridians like you did this afternoon? Wait, don’t answer that. It will make me angry either way.” Xiao Fang’s fingers tap against his elbow, an irritated look on his face. “There’s also that stupid condition to consider. Both Sects agreed to only send Inner Disciples to the tournament. Do you have any idea what our Xiao Sect had to give up for that?” 

Liu Jin shakes his head in negative. His conversation with Xiao Nan did not include that detail. All he knows is that it was the Xiao Sect who made that request. 

“Oh? So I finally know something you don’t?” Xiao Fang chuckles. He grabs his cup and swirls the liquid inside as he looks at the partying disciples. He stays like that for a moment. “Well, aren’t you going to ask?” 

Liu Jin thinks about it before shaking his head. “If it was important, Elder Brother would have probably told me. Of course, I will not object if you decide to tell me.”

Xiao Fang clicks his tongue.

“You are annoyingly good at taking the fun out of things.” Xiao Fang takes a drink out of his cup. His expression grows serious as he looks at the wine. “The Patriarch of the Yun Sect is in the Renegade Realm. As such, he is not exactly what one can call stable. Although the Yun Sect tried to hide it, we found out he was having a hard time stabilizing after a recent breakthrough. That is why the Yun Sect requested that the tournament be held later than usual. If the Yun Sect’s Patriarch failed to show up and the right rumors started circulating, well, you can imagine what would have happened.”

If Yun Peng failed to show up for the Eastern Port City Tournament, people would definitely take notice. It would be easy for the wrong sort of rumors to start floating around the city. In fact, the Xiao Sect would make sure that they would. Soon, everyone would be talking about how Yun Peng had lost control of his cultivation. Such a situation would have been extremely embarrassing for the Yun Sect.

In other words, the Xiao Sect could have made a much bigger demand of the Yun Sect, yet the Xiao Sect merely chose to have both Sects limit who they could send to the tournament. 

“Yes, that was my reaction too,” Xiao Fang says, seeing Liu Jin’s expression. “It didn’t make any sense to me. Of course, if the objective was to bait the Yun Sect…”

He leaves the sentence hanging. There is no need for it to be finished.

If the objective was to bait the Yun Sect, then everything makes sense. By removing Core Disciples from consideration, the Xiao Sect had guaranteed that the finals would be between Xiao Fang and Yun Han. With Wu Yan as the medical official of the tournament, the stage was perfectly set up for the Yun Sect to humiliate Xiao Fang. 

“As you can see, it isn’t hard to piece everything together once you have all the information. I suspected something was off from the start, but today confirmed it. What you did for the others, examining their meridians, that was to make sure Wu Yan hadn’t done anything to them, right?”

Liu Jin nods. He has no reason to hide anything. 

“And?” Xiao Fang prods. “Did you find anything?”

“Nothing.” Liu Jin lets out a sigh, an uncharacteristically dour look on his face. “I examined all members of our delegation, but I found nothing.”

“All but me, you mean,” Xiao Fang says, causing Liu Jin to look at him with renewed intensity. “I really hate it when you have that look on your face. If you are thinking something, just say it.”

“Is there really any need for me to do so? We both know what I am going to ask.”

Liu Jin has verified the health of every member of the Xiao Sect’s delegation.

The only exception is Xiao Fang.

In other words, to fully ascertain the health of all members of the Xiao Sect, Xiao Fang needs to submit himself to Liu Jin’s care.

For a moment, neither says anything. The two just stare at each other in silence while the other disciples celebrate a few feet away from them.

Liu Jin looks away first, bowing his head slightly. 

“Brother-in-law… Xiao Fang, I wish to examine your body. Will you allow me to do so?”

~~~

“Participant Xiao Fang is guilty of cheating! He does not deserve to be crowned champion!”

Wu Yan shouts with all the strength his lungs can muster. His words reach every corner of the arena, setting off a cacophony of shocked comments.

“Preposterous!”

The inside of the Xiao Sect’s private room is no different. While the disciples trade confused and panicked looks, Elder Gang rises to his feet, a furious expression on his face.

“What is the meaning of this? To dare accuse our Xiao Fang of cheating!” 

“Elder Gang, I am sure this is all a misunderstanding. There is no need to lose our tempers.”

“You are too soft, Elder Hui! This is an insult! Doctor Wu will have to answer for his son’s foolishness!”

Down in the ring, the situation is not much different. The announcer seems woefully out of his depth. Liu Jin can see as he looks from Xiao Fang to Wu Yan and then to the downed Yun Han. More words fly from Wu Yan’s mouth, this time not loudly enough for Liu Jin to hear them. The announcer raises his hands, no doubt trying to calm things down. Xiao Fang smiles as he replies, a taunting smile on his face.

“No, I will not move from here!” Thanks to a simple application of Qi, Xiao Fang’s words reach every corner of the arena. “If Wu Yan means to accuse me in front of everyone, then I shall prove my innocence in front of everyone. This Xiao Fang is innocent, and before the day is over, the entirety of Eastern Port City shall know it!”

“Son-in-law.”

Xiao Zheng speaks softly, yet that is enough to silence every other mouth in the room. Liu Jin takes a moment to gather himself before speaking.

“Yes, father-in-law?”

“Do you believe my son would benefit from your presence down in the ring?”

“I believe that would be the case.”

“Then go.”

The Patriarch of the Xiao Sect does not need to say anything else. Liu Jin bows his head to Xiao Zheng then to Elders before rushing out the door. Seven consecutive uses of Ground Contraction put him right before the fighter’s entrance. Wu Yan’s voice is now close enough to reach his ears.

“I was as shocked as the rest of you when participant Xiao Fang, who looked to be on the verge of defeat, suddenly gained renewed energy,” Wu Yan says. Unlike Xiao Fang, he is not using Qi to amplify his voice. This type of public speaking is new to him. Much to the detriment of his argument, he has to rely on his natural volume. “However, as I was close to the ring, I was able to discern the truth. Right before participant Xiao Fang’s sudden recovery, he swallowed something. I am certain he ingested an illegal substance!”

An illegal substance?

Liu Jin snorts.

What a joke. 

Cultivation pills and elixirs are items commonly used by those who have the means to obtain them. In light of that, what type of substances can be called illegal? 

While there is a list of substances deemed too dangerous or volatile for participants to use, testing whether Xiao Fang took one or not should be a simple matter. Most rules regarding the use of foreign substances fall along the lines of “do not poison your opponent before the match.”

In other words, Wu Yan’s accusation is too weak.

“Illegal substance?” Xiao Fang laughs. “You dare imply I would soil my body? How laughable!”

“Then how else can you explain your sudden recovery? No, it wasn’t just a simple recovery. Your cultivation level rose in the middle of the fight! We all felt it!”

“Rose? You are mistaken, Wu Yan. My cultivation level did not rise in the least.”

Wu Yan blinks, surprised by the assertion. “Are you then saying that…?”

“Exactly! I was already in the Sixth Level of the Nascent Realm before the tournament even began!”

This time, the gasps coming from the audience are far more audible. Even Wu Yan and the announcer cannot hide their surprise. That is how impressive Xiao Fang’s statement is. If he is telling the truth, it means he has been hiding his real level of cultivation for the entirety of the tournament. Even while fighting Yun Han, who was supposedly his equal, Xiao Fang never gave himself away.

Such a feat speaks volumes about the level control Xiao Fang has over his Qi.

It is a good thing Yun Han is unconscious, or else Xiao Fang’s declaration would probably make him want to cough blood.

“Th-then are you saying you did not use any pill during the match?” 

Xiao Fang’s words have unbalanced Wu Yan. The young doctor can only point at Xiao Fang with a trembling finger. He cannot even accuse him of lying. If he does, Xiao Fang will produce as many witnesses as he needs. That is the power of the Xiao Sect’s Young Master.

Wu Yan cannot even rely on his authority as the medical officer to say Xiao Fang was not at the Sixth Level of the Nascent Realm before the match.

That authority was already undermined the moment Wu Yan asked for Liu Jin’s help yesterday. 

“No, I definitely used a pill during the match.”

Liu Jin fights the urge to snort. Xiao Fang is having far too much fun with this.

Wu Yan almost leaps to take the bait. “Ha! So you admit it then?”

“I merely said I took a pill during the match. I never said it was an illegal substance,” Xiao Fang explains slowly and calmly as if speaking to an idiot. In his eyes, Wu Yan probably qualifies. “I have also not lied about my cultivation. I was already on the Sixth Level of the Nascent Realm before the tournament began.”

“Then why…?”

“To rid myself of the parasite, of course.”

All blood flees Wu Yan’s face. He takes a stumbling step back.

“I… I do not understand…”

“What exactly confuses you?” Liu Jin says he comes up from behind Wu Yan, eliciting a surprised yelp from him. Wu Yan takes several panicked steps back, managing to avoid falling by sheer luck. “Throughout the entire tournament, you have been examining the health of the participants. Surely you noticed the Soul Draining Parasite egg that rested within my brother-in-law’s stomach?”

Just like Xiao Fang, Liu Jin uses Qi to amplify his voice. Just like Xiao Fang, Liu Jin’s words do not fail to make an impact on the crowd. The implications are too clear for anyone to miss. If Liu Jin and Xiao Fang are telling the truth, that means Xiao Fang had a parasite inside him for the entire tournament, and Wu Yan did not notice.

Either that or Wu Yan chose not to notice.

The whispers from the audience grow louder with every passing second, and Wu Yan seems to grow smaller as he finds himself the center of attention.

“Enough!”

It is not Wu Yan who speaks. It also isn’t Liu Jin or Xiao Fang. It is not even Yun Han, who remains unconscious.

It is Yun Peng. 

The Patriarch of the Yun Sect appears in front of them. It is the first time Liu Jin lays eyes on the man, and his first thought is that he looks nowhere near as impressive as Patriarch Xiao Zheng. Yun Peng appears to be a middle-aged man with an angular face. His thin mustache grows past his lips all the way down to his chin. He possesses neither powerful muscles nor an impressive stature.

However, the man’s Qi could not be denied.

The presence of a man in the Renegade Realm falls upon the arena, forcing all three children and the announcer to their knees. 

“I believe I have been patient enough,” Yun Peng says, pacing in the manner a predator would before its prey. “I have listened to you chatter while my son lies defeated. Do you truly think I will stand by while he is humiliated in this manner?”

Yun Peng snaps his fingers. In an instant, members of the Yun Sect appear and take Yun Han’s body away. However, Yun Peng does not leave with them. His fiery gaze still rests Liu Jin and Xiao Fang.

“I believe you two impudent children have talked long enough.”

“Mind your words, Yun Peng. You have no authority over the members of my Sect. You certainly have no authority over my son and my son-in-law.”

Liu Jin breathes a sigh of relief when Xiao Zheng appears before them with Elder Gang and Elder Hui in tow. The aura of the Xiao Sect’s Patriarch pushes away Yun Peng’s Qi once more.

Needless to say, Yun Peng does not look happy about Xiao Zheng’s intrusion.

“You would stop your son from facing justice?”

“Justice?” Xiao Zheng echoes. “Do you hear what you are saying? My son has been slandered, and he was in the process of proving his innocence before you so rudely interrupted. I trust that now that you have seen to the safety of your son, there will be no further complications.”

Yun Peng is in the Renegade Realm.

Xiao Zheng is Emperor Realm.

Xiao Zheng’s words just now should be the end of it. Should things escalate to an open fight, Yun Peng has no way of winning. That is something everyone knows.

However, Yun Peng’s Qi shows no signs of quieting down. If anything, it keeps burning with violent intent.

“To step into the Renegade Realm is to risk madness,” Old Jiang had told Liu Jin once. “One should not enter unless one is completely confident in his ability to reach the Emperor Realm. That is why many cultivators are content to remain in the Heaven Realm.”

Feeling Yun Peng’s Qi right now, Liu Jin understands his master’s words completely. The man’s Qi lusts for conflict. His eyes thirst for violence. He is seriously considering fighting Xiao Zheng right now even though he knows he cannot win. 

It is no wonder Yun Peng rarely leaves the Yun Sect’s compound!

If Yun Peng didn’t isolate himself, he’d be a danger to the entire city! 

Liu Jin breathes a deep sigh of relief when the Qi around Yun Peng finally dims down, some measure of sanity compelling the man to back down.

“Very well,” Yun Peng says. “Let us hear this story. You spoke of a parasite, did you not?”

Yun Peng’s Qi cannot possibly be compared to Nine-Headed Snake God’s presence. However, Nine-Headed Snake God had never aimed so much hostile intent at Liu Jin. It is like a sword is being held at his throat. Liu Jin needs to take a moment to steel himself before replying.

“That is so,” Liu Jin says. “Two nights ago, I detected a Soul Draining Parasite inside my brother-in-law’s stomach. It had not yet hatched, but it was clear to me that was only because brother-in-law had not yet used enough Qi to awaken it.”

“In other words, the moment I fought someone who could force me to use a sufficient amount of power. the parasite would hatch and start draining my Qi,” Xiao Fang adds. “Indeed, that is exactly what happened. During my fight with Yun Han, the parasite awoke and started draining my Qi at a rapid pace.”

It was a clever trick. Liu Jin has to admit that much. The egg resting inside Xiao Fang required a certain amount of Qi to awaken. The more Qi Xiao Fang used, the closer the egg got to hatching. Since Yun Han was the only one in the tournament who could force Xiao Fang to fight seriously, the egg would not hatch until the finals. That is how Xiao Fang was able to fight for the entirety of the tournament without showing any symptoms. 

“Having foreseen this, I prepared a special pill,” Liu Jin continued. “That is the pill my brother-in-law took during the fight with Yun Han. There is nothing else to it. The only question is, why did Wu Yan fail to notice the parasite even though he had multiple chances to judge my brother-in-law’s health?”

“Now, now, let us calm down.” It is only when he speaks that Liu Jin notices Doctor Wu had come down with Yun Peng. The doctor places a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Certainly, this talk of parasites is interesting, but how can it be proven?”

“That should be easy,” Liu Jin says, drawing a surprised look from Doctor Wu and a panic-filled one from Wu Yan. “The medicine I gave Xiao Fang merely placed the parasite in a dormant state.” Liu Jin produces a pill from his sleeve. “This one should force it out of his body for all of you to see. There is no need for you to merely take my words at face value.”

Both pills had required pricey ingredients, but obtaining them had been easy. The Xiao Sect had a vast amount of ingredients, and Xiao Fang had access to many of them. 

“I see.” Doctor Wu looks as if he has swallowed something foul. “Well then, I see no reason to doubt your word.”

For Doctor Wu, that is the wisest action he can take. Should he force Xiao Fang to take the pill, he’d only make Xiao Fang’s case stronger by letting everyone see the parasite. The only thing he can do is accept Liu Jin’s words and move on. 

“In that case, I fear I must apologize for my son,” Doctor Wu continues, adopting a contrite look. “As you can all see, he is still young. His medical skills are not yet as good as they could be. This was already proven when he needed to ask young Liu Jin’s help to heal Young Master Yun Han. It is not surprising he failed to notice the parasite inside Young Master Xiao Fang. Perhaps it was too soon for him to shoulder a responsibility like this.”

Wu Yan shoots his father a betrayed look, but once again, Doctor Wu is choosing the best option available to him. He is leaning on Wu Yan’s proven ineptitude to excuse his error here. After all, it is better for Wu Yan to come out of this like an idiot than for it to be proven that he helped sabotage the Xiao Sect.

“How curious.”

Just as Doctor Wu is about to untangle himself and his son from this mess, Xiao Zheng chooses to speak.

“How very curious. A Soul Draining Parasite. Old friend, as I am sure you recall, I also suffered from this malady many years ago. Back then, you also failed to detect it.”

His words are delivered lightly, but there is no mistaking the edge beneath them. Doctor Wu audibly swallows. 

“I… Yes, I must admit my failure back then.”

“As I recall, when I told you the truth of my ailment, you assured me you would do your best to make sure a mistake like that would never happen again. You vowed you would teach every single one of your disciples about the properties of the Soul Draining Parasite, so they would never fail to detect it again. How can it be that you’d fail to pass this knowledge to your son?”

It is Doctor Wu who nervously steps back this time, trying to flee Xiao Zheng’s steely gaze.

“It seems quite clear to me that he tried to sabotage your son.”

Yun Peng’s words draw all eyes to him. The Patriarch of the Yun Sect looks at the ongoing events with impatient eyes. The sentiment is not reflected in Doctor Wu, however. His face goes from shock to panic to realization in the blink of an eye.

“I believe only a fool would fail to draw that conclusion by now,” Yun Peng continues. “However, such matters have nothing to do with us.” 

Ah, so that is how it is. Liu Jin frowns as he realizes what is happening.

Yun Peng is washing his hands off Doctor Wu. 

“This is a matter between the Xiao Sect and Doctor Wu. Since our Yun Sect has nothing to do with this, we will be taking our leave.”

“That’s a lie! It was Yun Han who told me to keep quiet about the parasite! He knew about it in advance!” 

Wu Yan’s words leave behind stunned silence. He has just confirmed the Yun Sect and Doctor Wu collaborated to sabotage the Xiao Sect, and he did so loudly enough for everyone to hear.

“Preposterous!” Yun Peng roars, his Qi forcing Wu Yan to his knees. Had they been in a different setting, Liu Jin is sure Wu Yan would no longer be among the living. “How dare you accuse my son?!”

“If your son is innocent, I am sure you will have no problems with us asking him a few questions once he wakes up,” Xiao Zheng says. “After all, you had no problem with my son speaking in front of everyone. Why should your son be treated differently?”

“This is foolish!” Yun Peng says, his face red with anger. “Let us say my son and this brat worked together. Why does it matter? It is merely the work of children. There is no reason for it to be given such importance.”

They are children, so none of this matters. Such shameless words come out of the mouth of the Yun Sect’s Patriarch.

“The work of children?” Elder Gang echoes. “With all due respect, I must object. How would a pair of children even obtain a Soul Draining Parasite? How did the parasite even end up inside our Xiao Fang?”

“I cannot control what you feed your heir,” Yun Peng replies curtly. 

“Patriarch Yun Peng would be pleased to know my diet is heavily controlled,” Xiao Fang says. “Everything I eat is made by our cooks, then taste-tested to prevent poisoning. In the past month, there has only been one exception to that.” 

Xiao Fang’s gaze moves away from Yun Peng.

“Elder Hui, you remember, don’t you?”

At once, all eyes go to the Elder of the Xiao Sect.

“It was a few days before the tournament began. Elder Hui took me to A Hundred Heavenly Feasts to celebrate.”

“A Hundred Heavenly Feasts,” Xiao Zheng says in a deceptively calm voice. His eyes never leave Yun Peng. “As I recall, that establishment is controlled by your Yun Sect.”

“Elder Hui, why would you take our Xiao Fang to such a place when the tournament was so near?” Elder Gang asks, looking at his fellow Elder with shock and anger. 

“I was not thinking. You’ll have to forgive this old man.” Elder Hui says, doing his best to appear sorrowful. “I never imagined the Yun Sect would stoop so low.”

“This is nothing but slander,” Yun Peng roars. “You have proved your heir has been infected by a parasite, and you have proved he ate at one of my Sect’s establishments. Nothing more. There is nothing tying the two events together.”

Liu Jin frowns. 

By now, it is obvious that the Yun Sect tried to sabotage Xiao Fang. Even the audience has already realized the truth of the matter. Yun Peng, however, still shamelessly denies it, and there is no telling what will happen if they keep pushing. Making Yun Peng lose his temper is too dangerous. They need something even Yun Peng won’t be able to ignore. 

“I see. In that case, allow me to tie the two events together to Patriarch Yun Peng’s satisfaction.”

Liu Jin’s eyes go wide. That voice! It cannot be! 

“Xiao Nan.”

The strongest prodigy of Eastern Port City appears from among the crowd. He is carrying a jar though Xiao Nan is not close enough for Liu Jin to make out its contents. Elder Hui’s face pales when he sees it, however.

“I am sorry to intrude, but it seemed prudent, given the circumstances.” 

“I thought you had left the city,” Elder Hui says bluntly.

“I meant to, but my attention kept being dragged around by other things. Elder Hui, you would not believe what happened to cross my path.”

Xiao Nan holds the jar up for everyone to see.

It is full of eggs.

Soul Draining Parasite Eggs.

“I believe,” Elder Hui says, “That it may be for the best if we continued this discussion in private.”

“I second the motion,” Yun Peng says.

Xiao Nan smiles.

~~~