Emperor Peerless was clearly calling the Moon G.o.d Sect blind for not noticing Jiang Chen’s potential, but the latter didn’t say anything and laughed inwardly to himself. It wasn’t really the Moon G.o.d Sect’s fault. His bloodline had genuinely been very mediocre when he was young. If he really was a genius, the sect would’ve taken him away long before. There was no chance he’d be left behind in the Eastern Kingdom.
Jiang Chen smiled awkwardly and changed the topic. “Old Brother Mo, I believe you have a rough understanding of my family issues by now. There’s yet another stumbling block before me. The Moon G.o.d Sect has been keeping very close tabs on my mother and sister. We must come up with a plan so that our family can reunite.”
Emperor Peerless laughed. “You have two choices. You can barge your way in or have an open, frank discussion with them.”
Barging in clearly wasn’t the smartest idea. There was no way Jiang Chen would even consider it. He wouldn’t mind it if he was the only concerned party, but that wasn’t the case. He couldn’t afford to take such drastic measures when his parent’s happiness was at stake. Moreover, barging his way into a first rank sect was easier said than done. Even if he somehow succeeded, who could guarantee that he’d successfully leave with his mother and sister? This option wasn’t even worth considering. Having a discussion with them was a p.r.i.c.kly matter as well. How was he supposed to tackle the subject?
Reveal his ident.i.ty as the young lord of Sacred Peafowl Mountain? That would expose everything! That clearly wasn’t going to work. He couldn’t afford to reveal his true ident.i.ty. First of all, setting aside that he might not be able to stabilize the uproar in Veluriyam Capital once his ident.i.ty was revealed, the Ninesuns Sky Sect and the Eternal Celestial Capital would surely band together and launch an a.s.sault on him. His sway as the young lord of Sacred Peafowl Mountain would dwindle as a result as well.
He wasn’t powerful enough to ignore those repercussions yet. Revealing his ident.i.ty would cause more problems than it would solve. He was merely the young lord of Sacred Peafowl Mountain and not the true leader of Veluriyam Capital. Moreover, the power struggle between the great emperors of the capital had yet to be resolved.
“Little brother, your ident.i.ty should be enough to get you a meeting with them,” the emperor advised.
Jiang Feng shook his head before Jiang Chen could reply. “Chen’er can’t do that. If his ident.i.ty is exposed, it will implicate not only Sacred Peafowl Mountain, but also the Regal Pill Palace. I can’t allow Chen’er to sacrifice his future over something like this. At most, I’ll just wait a few more years. I’ve already waited decades for this moment. A few more years wouldn’t hurt.”
He desperately wanted to see his wife and reunite his family, but he understood how complicated the situation was. Maybe it wasn’t time for them to reunite just yet. He was just relieved to finally locate his wife. A few more years of waiting was acceptable. After all, that time frame wasn’t even that long in the cultivation world.
Jiang Feng’s injuries were almost fully healed after a few day’s rest in Gu Xintang’s residence. And so, Jiang Chen decided to return to Frostmoon City to make some long term plans. He also asked Gu Xintang if he’d ever get the chance to meet the Blue Moon’s holy maidens. Unfortunately, not even the hallmaster of Bleakmoon Hall would be able to meet a holy maiden, let alone a mere guard captain like him.
Holy maidens were potential sectmasters. They were very isolated from the outside world and shrouded in mystery. Other than the sectmaster who personally instructed them, not even their parents were allowed to see them often. Holy maidens with high potential would go through long periods of observation until the next sectmaster was singled out.
The Moon G.o.d Sect had four sectmasters in a rising hierarchy as there was four factions within the sect. The Purples, Blues, Indigos, and Reds formed a council where each faction had their own representative. Of course, the council wasn’t entirely harmonious either. Regardless, holy maidens were far beyond the reach of the common people. Only those with insurmountable power within the sect could have an audience with them, except when the holy maiden voluntarily showed herself.
Holy maidens were extremely mysterious in this sect. They were very different from the true disciples of other sects because they were women. Upon entering the cultivation world, they’d cause a huge commotion throughout region. In the Upper Eight Regions, many sought glory by courting the Moon G.o.d Sect holy maidens. Technically, the holy maidens had sworn to never marry, but sometimes there were exceptions. Those who lost the running to become sectmaster were allowed to marry. Of course, the requirements for such arrangements were incredibly high. The average w.a.n.g, Chen, and Lin could only dream about marrying a holy maiden.
Even those who lost in the running had extremely high standards. First of all, their partners must have a similar background of affluence and power, and they had to be equipped with talent and good looks. Most important of all, they had to remain faithful unto death. Infidelity was regarded as treason against the sect.
The Moon G.o.d Sect was the only matriarchal sect in the Upper Eight Regions. Marriage was seen as a sacred matter and was thus subject to many inflexible and rigid rules. Jiang Chen’s mother, Xu Meng, was a good example. She had been left behind in the secular world during infancy, so the matter should’ve come to a rest with that. However, the sect wouldn’t allow it. When they received news that one of their holy maidens had been desecrated, they viewed it as an immense humiliation. They’d rather kidnap or kill her than to allow her to commit further debauchery in the secular world. For the sake of pointless vanity, they were willing to separate a pair of lovebirds and destroy their family.
Jiang Chen asked Third Master Jing the same questions in Frostmoon City. The latter smiled wryly and shook his head. “Brother Shao, if you need help with anything else, I’ll help you in a heartbeat. But if you wish to see a holy maiden… I’m afraid it’s beyond my abilities. Neither I, Captain Gu, or the hallmaster of Blackmoon Hall can help you with that. Even the forefather of House Jing, who’s a sect elder, would have to ask for permission from the holy maiden before they can meet.”
It was only then that Jiang Chen realized how difficult it would be to get an audience with the holy maidens of the Sect. Conventional ways were no longer an option. He’d have to blaze a much more unorthodox path.
“Third Master Jing, if getting an audience with a holy maiden is so difficult, what about the former holy maiden, Xu Meng? That should be easier, right?” Jiang Chen tried again.
“Aii it would definitely be easier if it were any other former holy maidens. Unfortunately, Holy Maiden Xu Meng is under heavy surveillance. The sect doesn’t allow her to come into contact with the outside world. Moreover, she doesn’t want to see any of the members of the sect due to her deep hatred for them. The sect has ruined her life and separated her family. Her son is also missing and n.o.body even knows if he’s still alive…” Third Master Jing didn’t withhold any information and told Jiang Chen everything he knew.
Getting an audience with a former holy maiden wasn’t any easier than a current one. Jiang Chen was running out of options. Did he really have no other choice but to meet with them? Was it even possible to have an effective talk with such a rigid and inflexible sect?
The Tilted Moon Region had good relations with Pillfire City due to their close proximity. There was no guarantee that they might show a young lord of Veluriyam Capital face either. He tried tackling the matter from multiple angles, but there just wasn’t any other way.
“Maybe I should just barge into the Blue Moons and kidnap your mother?” Emperor Peerless suggested.
“That wouldn’t be appropriate.” Jiang Chen immediately shook his head. “First of all, it’s too risky. Going in is relatively safe when you’re alone, but the same can’t be said when you have to escape with another person. Secondly, it makes things difficult for my little sister. It’ll be even harder for us to meet in the future. Lastly, this will also affect Third Master Jing and Gu Xintang.”
The third master was somewhat touched by those words. He’d been genuinely worried when Emperor Peerless had voiced his suggestion. He was deeply impressed that Sir Shao hadn’t forgotten about him even in a situation like this! He might be a scoundrel, but he wasn’t the kind of person that couldn’t tell chalk from cheese.
Since the group couldn’t think of an appropriate course of action yet, they had no choice but to wait for an opportunity. In the meantime, Jiang Chen transferred energy to his father everyday to reshape his body and bloodline. He didn’t hesitate to use his treasure trove of useful items on his father. After all, the man was only in his fifties. That was still young in the cultivation world. As long as his foundation was solid, it was completely normal for him to catch up to the other experts at his age.
When Palace Head Dan Chi had broken through the sage realm at a hundred years old, he was considered a peerless talent in Myriad Domain. Jiang Feng was already an earth origin cultivator. With Jiang Chen’s help, he shouldn’t have any problem breaking through the sage realm within three to five years. There was no shortcut in attaining the emperor realm, but Jiang Chen had plenty of resources, pills, spirit stones, and equipment.
He also had in possession the true dragon, golden cicada, and astral white tiger bloodline. His father could choose to whichever one to refine and instantly become a peerless talent in the entire Divine Abyss Continent. Jiang Chen was relieved that he’d refined the Five Dragons Opening Heavens Pill for his father back then. It was just a tiny pill, but it was enough to set up a solid foundation for Jiang Feng. Otherwise, there was no way Jiang Feng could reach the earth origin realm within a decade. This was already a very astonis.h.i.+ng cultivation speed and no doubt that it was thanks to the Five Dragons Opening Heavens Pill.
“Haha, Chen’er, it’s normally the father who paves the road and sets up a training plan for his son. But in our family, the father is the one who gets to enjoy such fortune instead.” Jiang Feng sighed deeply. Everything had changed ever since his son reentered into his world. His bleak and dull life was now full of light and color.
Liu Zhen envied the father and son for reuniting, while Jiang Chen didn’t forget to repay Liu Zhen for not forsaking his father. The young lord imparted a lot of fortune to Liu Zhen. A lot of them were opportunities that Liu Zhen wouldn’t have even dreamed about. This excited him greatly. Meeting Jiang Feng was the turning point in his life. Liu Zhen had never asked to be compensated for his dedication, but he’d received it nonetheless.