Chapter 790: Mu Gaoqi’s Whereabouts
Jiang Chen’s words reminded Huang’er of just such a possibility. Concern flashed across her face. Huang’er knew that Elder Shun would almost certainly visit the domains of various races or even go back to Myriad Abyss Island if he couldn’t find the Requiem Wood in human territory.
“Let’s hope the elder didn’t go back to Myriad Abyss Island,” Huang’er spoke worriedly.
“What’s wrong with returning there?”
“He’ll definitely be viewed as a traitor for taking me from the Island. His fate will be even worse than my parents’ if he is captured. My father and mother were only imprisoned within Boundless Prison but Elder Shun… he’ll be executed.” Huang’er’s voice began to tremble as her exquisite countenance turned somewhat pale.
She’d been dependent on Elder Shun through many life and death situations, so it came as no surprise that she couldn’t accept even the thought of such a conclusion. Jiang Chen lightly grasped Huang’er’s hands and consoled her with a gentle tone. “Don’t worry, Elder Shun is a man of great wisdom. He has a clear idea of what he should and should not do.”
Huang’er tried visibly to calm down and nodded lightly. She was worried that Jiang Chen would be overly concerned about her. “Brother Chen, I’d always believed that my ailment would never be cured, until that fateful day when you told me about the Generation Binding Curse and that it could be cured with the Requiem Wood. Please rest a.s.sured that Huang’er will strive to live on. When I’m cured of the Generation Binding Curse, I must go to Boundless Prison to rescue my parents from their agony.” Huang’er’s tone was serious and her eyes resolute.
Jiang Chen nodded, “Indeed. How can one watch as their parents fall into the depths of misery? Fret not, Huang’er, I’ll definitely accompany you to rescue your parents one day.”
At this point, Jiang Chen felt his chest tighten. The fate of his father, whether from his past life or current, was still a mystery to him. It still was a sore spot. But he still had a long ways to go before reaching the Celestial Emperor’s level. Before then, it would be futile to worry excessively. But he also shared familiar sentiments with his current father, Jiang Feng. After all, it was said that blood runs thicker than water. With the latter’s blood coursing through Jiang Chen’s current physical body, how could he sever such a filial relations.h.i.+p? What’s more, Jiang Feng had taken care of him in many ways back in the Eastern Kingdom. The fatherly love that Jiang Chen had experienced in his life had not been missed one whit in this life. It was difficult to imagine Jiang Chen surviving the initial hurdles from his present life without a father like Jiang Feng. He recalled how his father had departed for the upper regions in search of his mother, leaving only a letter to explain the situation.
Many a year had pa.s.sed with neither news nor contact now. He himself had arrived at the Upper Eight Regions after much hards.h.i.+p, constantly on the run. He then had to devote all his efforts on gaining a foothold in Veluriyam Capital. He simply hadn’t found the time to inquire about Jiang Feng’s whereabouts. Now that Taiyuan Tower was on the right track, it was high time to focus on finding his father. Too many years had pa.s.sed already. Concern clenched Jiang Chen’s heart whenever he thought about it; especially just how much he had sacrificed on his fateful journey from the Myriad Domain to the Veluriyam Capital.
He recalled how his father had charged into the Upper Eight Regions with merely a spirit realm cultivation level. His journey, even from a distance, looked fraught with danger, like a three year old child seeking to enter a dragon’s pond or tiger’s lair. Heavens only knew how many people of the origin realm or even the sage realm died everyday in the Upper Eight Regions, to say nothing of a mere spirit realm cultivator. Seeing Jiang Chen in a daze, Huang’er hurriedly inquired as to what was weighing on his mind.
Jiang Chen sighed, “Huang’er, you likely know of my father, the Duke of Jiang Han, back when you were in the Eastern Kingdom. He left after accompanying me to the Skylaurel Kingdom with only a letter to explain that he was going to the Upper Eight Regions to search for my mother. Most importantly, he didn’t leave a keepsake. Looking for him now is like searching for a needle in a haystack.”
At that moment, Jiang Chen told Huang’er about the contents of his father’s letter. Huang’er naturally knew about Jiang Chen’s backgrounds, but she’d always thought his father was still in Skylaurel Kingdom. She never expected his father to have already left. “Brother Chen, you and your father are truly affectionate people. As the saying goes, the heavens provide for the fortunate. His love for your mother will surely move the heavens. Since we already know that your mother is from the Upper Eight Regions, it’s only a matter of time before we find them,” Huang’er consoled.
The two suddenly realized the many similarities between their lives. Their parents’ marriages had both been sabotaged by other parties. The comparable fates and the similar obstacles they’d faced created a strong resonance between Jiang Chen and Huang’er.
At this moment, one of Jiang Chen’s followers approached. “Pill King Zhen, young master Ji San has dispatched some people to Taiyuan Tower. They claim to be here on urgent business.”
Jiang Chen had previously chosen ten from among the batch of slaves and contracted them to serve Taiyuan Tower for twenty years. They had now become his reliable aides. Jiang Chen dared not be negligent after hearing that young master Ji San had an urgent matter to discuss. He couldn’t ignore the young master’s matters since they were, after all, sworn brothers.
“Brother Chen, the state of affairs within Veluriyam Capital is rather complicated. You must be careful,” reminded Huang’er.
Jiang Chen promised to be so and walked out into Taiyuan Tower’s main hall. He then proceeded to follow young master Ji San’s aides towards the Coiling Dragon Clan manor. This was his first time calling upon the manor of a great clan. But Jiang Chen wasn’t nervous at all. Truth be told, he didn’t have a reason to be. He’d already experienced many grand spectacles during his past life. A mere clan manor was rather insignificant by the standards of the heavenly realm.
The clan manor of the Coiling Dragon Clan was located in one of the most preeminent districts of Veluriyam Capital. The large palaces and wide courtyards were constructed in the shape of a coiling dragon. It was an overwhelming sight to behold. Although the world viewed the Coiling Dragon Clan as a waning power, it still looked very well organized on the surface. The security was strict, looking impenetrable from the exterior or within its walls. One couldn’t even hope to draw a comparison between such a clan manor and that of a ninth rank aristocratic house.
“Pill King Zhen, young master Ji San has arranged for you to freely enter or exit the clan manor with this token. You’ll have unimpeded access everywhere except for certain restricted areas.” The leader among young master Ji San’s followers was a sixth rank emperor realm cultivator. He naturally knew Jiang Chen as young master Ji San’s sworn brother and treated him with due courtesy.
Jiang Chen smiled, “I’m grateful for this great favor, Captain Mo.”
“Haha, I’m merely pa.s.sing on young master Ji San’s generosity. Moreover, with Pill King Zhen’s current status, I feel you’re absolutely worthy of this honor.” Captain Mo was quite polite to Jiang Chen. He obviously viewed Jiang Chen with a certain degree of admiration and wanted to become friends. As expected, nothing obstructed them as they chatted on the way to young master Ji San’s residence.
Young master Ji San’s position in the clan was indeed extraordinary. Amidst the vast and maze-like Coiling Dragon Clan Manor, his residence was located in a peaceful location surrounded by a bustling neighbourhood. It was like a completely different world within.
“Brother Ji, you seem to be living quite a comfortable life.” Jiang Chen saw that young master Ji San’s residence was ten times bigger than his own back at the Regal Pill Palace. They’d obviously made meticulous plans for efficient s.p.a.ce utilization to be able to build such a residence.
“Haha, you can move in and live with me if you like it. I was bored to death during your closed door cultivation. Come, come, come… take a look at what I’ve prepared for you.” Young master Ji San dismissed his followers with a wave of his hand. He then dragged Jiang Chen by the hand to a secret chamber. Once inside, Jiang Chen noticed a person restrained inside. He was kneeling, half conscious, on the floor like a dead dog, not able to offer so much as a thread of resistance.
“Brother, guess who this is!”
Jiang Chen was startled after seeing his face. How could it be him?! This was obviously Boss Li from the Myriad Puppets Pavilion. Back when Jiang Chen had gone to the Myriad Puppets Pavilion to investigate the fate of the Regal Pill Palace disciples, he’d wanted to buy the disciples back. But the Myriad Puppets Pavilion had so many rules and regulations in place that Jiang Chen had been forced to utilize a more violent approach.
Jiang Chen still had no idea what he could do with those slaves still hidden within House Wei’s secret area. He wasn’t willing to return them to the Myriad Puppets Pavilion but was also worried that, after failing to find them, the Pavilion might activate the seals and kill them off. Then, he’d have inadvertently harmed these people. “Isn’t this Boss Li from the Myriad Puppets Pavilion?”
“Haha, your memory is quite good. It is indeed that old b.a.s.t.a.r.d. This loyal dog of House Sikou has been managing the Myriad Puppets Pavilion for many years now. It’s normally quite difficult to make a move on him because he lives in seclusion. Taking advantage of this rare and coincidental opportunity, I dispatched my men to abduct him from a brothel in secret. Brother, didn’t you want to inquire about the fate of your two fellow disciples? Ask him all you want. He’s been afflicted by one of our Coiling Dragon Clan’s abilities which not only compels him to answer questions in all honesty, but also ensures that he’ll remember nothing afterwards.”
Although Jiang Chen was no stranger to such arts, he felt a rush of excitement within his heart. He approached and nudged the captive’s chin with his foot. “Boss Li, how’s business at the Myriad Puppets Pavilion recently?”
Boss Li replied in an apathetic tone, without a shred of trickery. “Business has been terrible. The recent robbery lost us several old customers and has ma.s.sively affected trade.” Young master Ji San laughed as he clapped Jiang Chen’s shoulder. “Take your time with him. He’ll remain in this state forever unless we release him.”
Jiang Chen nodded before continuing, “Do you remember the batch of slaves you acquired from the Myriad Domain?”
“I do. Those slaves from the Regal Pill Palace were purchased from the Great Scarlet Empire. Unfortunately we failed to realize their potential value and missed the opportunity to obtain the recipe for the Longevity Pill!”
“How so?” Jiang Chen asked.
“We only later came to know that an elder named Yun Nie and a youth named Mu Gaoqi amongst them possessed the recipe to the Longevity Pill. But it turns out that these two people had already been sold to Pillfire City. Thus we missed a golden opportunity to obtain the recipe for the Longevity Pill!”
Jiang Chen frowned, “What kind of place is Pillfire City?”
Young master Ji San spoke from the side, “Pillfire City is a major power in the Upper Eight Regions. Though not as powerful as Veluriyam Capital, it’s not too far off—one occupies the north and the other is located in the south—both are superior powers within the Upper Eight Regions. The Pillfire City is one of the most authoritative powers in the dao of pills and dominates at least seventy percent of the human race’s pill dao market!”
“It’s that powerful?!” Jiang Chen was dazed, but he felt slightly relieved after knowing that Elder Yun Nie and Mu Gaoqi had been sold to the Pillfire City. At least now he knew of their whereabouts.