Thanks to the young lord’s speech, the trip ended up being worthwhile for the guests. In comparison, they held no special expectations for the reopening itself. After all, Jiang Chen was the sole reason for their presence, rather than any interest in the Regal Pill Palace.
To the delight of everyone from the sect, the ceremony proceeded in a smooth and dignified manner with just the right degree of pomp and circ.u.mstance, thanks to the partic.i.p.ation of all the notable figures.
From top to bottom, Jiang Chen’s speech had made the sect members realize how highly he thought of them. They foresaw a future in which they would have the full weight of Veluriyam behind them. There would be no more six great sects in Myriad Domain like in the past, but the one and only Regal Pill Palace.
The guests didn’t linger after the magnificent banquet and presented themselves to bid farewell.
Jiang Chen said with a smile, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve tried to acquire a few items in the Dragon and Tiger Meet. One of them is the Goldencrown Cloudcrane. This is a long-term, outstanding purchase order. If anyone has one, please send it to Veluriyam at your convenience. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied with the price. Ah, there’s also the Heavencloud Ganoderma too. I’ll purchase any at a premium price.”
Those who’d come were either important sect figures or t.i.tans amongst wandering cultivators. With their widespread networks, he would soon see an increase in his stockpiles of Goldencrown Cloudcrane and Heavencloud Ganoderma if they kept his offer in mind. These two were required for the Pinecrane Pill and the Emperor Supremacy Pill.
Jiang Chen asked Emperor Wellspring and Emperor Inferno to stay behind, as well as any great emperors due a Pinecrane Pill. Other than Emperor Wellspring who’d already received his pill, the others would’ve been reluctant to leave even if Jiang Chen had shooed them away. The pill was never far away from their thoughts.
However, there was still a long time to go until the promised date; they dared not rush him. The pill had come too easily to them. They’d merely took action once, doing something that was nothing more than a lift of the finger. So they made sure to treat him with utter courtesy because they had the lingering impression that they’d taken advantage of him
Jiang Chen led these wandering great emperors to a secluded spot in the Regal Pill Palace’s rear mountain.
Emperor Inferno was a straightforward man. Unable to keep his cool, he was the first one to ask, “Young lord Jiang Chen, I hear there’s news of the Pinecrane Pills?”
The others also stared at Jiang Chen, their eyes s.h.i.+ning expectantly.
Emperor Wellspring had already gotten his, so he was the most at ease among them. A faint smile on his lips, he looked at this young lord in slight surprise. It hadn’t been long since the Dragon and Tiger Meet. Were the pills already available? This young lord’s efficiency was quite something.
“Everyone, the Pinecrane Pills are indeed close at hand. However, there’s something I have to trouble you all with. It bears no relation to the Pinecrane Pills, it’s a private issue of mine. Nothing much, just a small errand.” Jiang Chen feigned embarra.s.sment.
These fellows felt on pins and needles at his change of subject, eager as they were to get their hands on the Pinecrane Pills. They thumped their chests when they heard him mention needing their a.s.sistance, and with a mere triviality at that.
“Young lord Jiang Chen, feel free to ask for anything. We’ve always thought of you as our friend. What’s a small errand between friends?”
“Indeed. We didn’t do much to deserve the Pinecrane Pill. We’d feel more at ease if you entrusted us with some mission.”
“I agree. Let’s hear it, what do you need? We won’t refuse as long as it’s within our power. Whoever declines is a pig!”
Emperor Wellspring chuckled. “Young lord Jiang Chen, all of us hold you in high esteem. Your generosity with the Pillcrane Pill has won you everyone’s friends.h.i.+p.”
This was the result Jiang Chen was going for. “Then I’ll just say it?”
“Say it, say it.”
“Don’t leave us hanging.”
He nodded. “Everyone should be aware of my past by now. It’s true I came from Myriad Domain. Before joining the Regal Pill Palace, I was a disciple of the Precious Tree Sect. Before that, I was merely the son of a local duke in a trivial kingdom of the sixteen kingdoms alliance. My father Jiang Feng is a small n.o.ble from Eastern Kingdom.”
He wasn’t telling the listeners anything they didn’t know.
After the young lord’s ident.i.ty had been made public, various rumors about his person had become the most popular topic in the human domain. His birthplace was now public knowledge.
“Young lord Jiang Chen is all the more remarkable for rising from a mundane kingdom. Only a blind man would deny your stunning talent,” the great emperors sighed with praise.
Jiang Chen inwardly shook his head with a wry smile. There was nothing extraordinary about his body’s original talent. The remarkable part merely came from his reincarnation. Of course, this wasn’t something he’d tell them. Instead, he simply heaved a soft sigh.
“There are probably many people who know my ident.i.ty now. But what about my parents? At most, you know my father is from Eastern Kingdom, but I’d wager no one knows about my mother.”
Everyone stared in surprise. What did he mean? Did the young lord’s mother have a distinguished origin?
No one spoke. They simply p.r.i.c.ked their ears.
“To tell the truth, my mother’s status is far more exalted than my father’s. She was stranded in Eastern Kingdom when she was an infant. Someone ended up adopting her, then she married my father and finally gave birth to me. However, her sect found her thanks to a bloodline-related art and took her away.”
Jiang Chen’s voice was calm, but the crowd fell silent. One could hear the drop of a pin. “After I entered Skylaurel Kingdom, my father searched high and low for her. He finally found her whereabouts not long ago.
“Only, the sect she resides in now is outstanding even in the Upper Eight Regions. They have very strict rules. They believe my mother’s n.o.ble bloodline has been tainted by the mundane world, so they put her under house arrest.”
An extraordinary sect in the Upper Eight Regions? n.o.ble bloodline? Where was it? Possibilities whirled through the great emperors’ minds.
“I’ve become the young lord of Veluriyam, but my parents still remain apart, separated by long distance. Hence, I plan on proposing marriage on behalf of my father.”
The great emperors heaved a faint sigh of relief. Marriage? Did he mean to have them old fellows play matchmaker?
“Gentlemen, what I mean has probably already occurred to you. I need your presence to add weight to my proposal. I can also use your support to sway the situation to my side at critical moments.” Jiang Chen looked at his guests with a serene gaze. “This is a private affair and there’s no reward on the line. If it’s an inconvenience for you all, then I won’t impose on you.”
Emperor Wellspring laughed out loud. “Haha, this is quite a happy occasion. Count me in.”
“Me in as well,” Emperor Inferno said.
Emperor Reliance laughed mischievously. “I’m also in. With young lord Jiang Chen’s current status, it’s a privilege for them no matter who they are. Tainted bloodline? What are they talking about?”
“Indeed. Young lord Jiang Chen, which Upper Eight Regions faction is it? How dare they put your esteemed mother under house arrest? How dare they deny face to you like this!?”
“Hmph, let us have a good look. Which first rank sect dares be so ruthless?” Everyone had deduced from Jiang Chen’s words that he wasn’t talking about Pillfire City.
“Please don’t misunderstand, gentlemen. Although that sect has its own preconceptions, I fear they still don’t know the ins and outs of this matter even to this day,” Jiang Chen calmly said. “It’s precisely because they don’t know that I have to go myself. I must give my mother a triumphant return! This is my father’s cherished dream and also my own desire as their son. What meaning is there to power and prestige if I can’t reunite even my parents?”
“Young lord Jiang Chen’s filial piety is admirable.”
“Yes, we ought to help the young lord achieve his goal. No matter what sect it is, it should have some tact.”
“Don’t they say marriage is sacred? No one should come between husband and wife. That sect is at fault for breaking up a loving couple, to say nothing of putting the young lord’s mother under house arrest. They’ll cry a flood of regret when they learn of the young lord’s ident.i.ty.”
Jiang Chen smiled. “Rather than regret, my only goal is for my parents to have an honorable reunion. I forgot to mention that the sect in question is the Moon G.o.d Sect.”
The Moon G.o.d Sect? That name didn’t come as a shock for the great emperors.
They’d already formed their own conjectures. The Moon G.o.d Sect was one of them, the Celestial Cicada PaG.o.da the other. These two sects were famous for their female disciples.
“They do have strict rules. These women are known for clas.h.i.+ng with outsiders. No wonder they’d act like this. It’s no surprise coming from the Moon G.o.d Sect.”
“The Moon G.o.d Sect? So what of them? With young lord Jiang Chen’s status, forming ties with Veluriyam would be a step up in the world!”
“Exactly, forming ties with Veluriyam would be a privilege for anyone in the human domain.”
Jiang Chen smiled at their flattery. “Allow me to thank you all for your kindness. After we resolve this affair, I’ll go into seclusion and focus my entire attention on refining Pillcrane Pills so I may give them to you earlier.”
The great emperors beamed with delight at his promise.
“Young lord Jiang Chen, what’s the plan? When are we leaving?”
“Right, when are we going?”
“After I settle the situation in the Regal Pill Palace. I also need to make a trip back to Veluriyam after that. I’ll have to ask everyone to linger here for a while”