Chapter 321

Chapter 321

In a gazebo within a separate courtyard of the Dingqi Pavilion, two men with impressive auras sat facing each other.

"Seventeenth brother, what brings you here?" Ling Chen inquired.

Ling Chuan replied with a light smile, "Just taking a stroll. Zhongzhou seems quite eventful lately, especially with the Bai family's rising prominence."

Ling Chen nodded with a sigh, "Indeed! The Bai family has been very fortunate. But with every rise comes potential pitfalls. Their entanglement with the Ming Clan could be either a blessing or a curse."

Ling Chen, responsible for the Ling family's affairs in the Bai's territory and a martial master, was Ling Chuan's cousin.

"Are you still looking for that girl from the secret realm?" Ling Chen asked.

Ling Chuan nodded slightly, "Yes."

"After all these years, if she was to be found, you would have found her by now," Ling Chen hesitated, then added cautiously, "Do you think you might have been under some illusion back then...?"

Ling Chuan looked up sharply at Ling Chen, saying coldly, "Do you think I was merely dreaming? Do you believe I can't differentiate between reality and illusion?"

Ling Chen gave an awkward smile and said, "Not at all!"

Years ago, Ling Chuan claimed he inadvertently had an encounter with a girl in a secret realm and felt obliged to take responsibility. However, he couldn't even remember her name or appearance.

Ling Chuan insisted on investigating, and a respected elder in the family looked into it. After the search, the Ling family realized the girl didn't seem to exist.

Rumors had long circulated that Ling Chuan had merely dreamt the whole affair. Despite their doubts, no one in the family dared to question him directly.

"After all these years, can't you let it go?" Ling Chen asked.

Ling Chuan coldly surveyed Ling Chen and said with a stern expression, "What are you getting at?"

Ling Chen chuckled awkwardly, hesitated, then said, "If you can't move on, maybe consider taking a concubine? Our younger brother already has over ten sons, and you remain alone. Don't you ever feel envious...?"

Ling Chuan's expression darkened instantly. Ling Chen inwardly lamented, wondering why the family elders had sent him as a mediator. If Ling Chuan were to get angry, he wouldn't stand a chance.

Ling Chuan looked at Ling Chen coldly, then suddenly smirked, "Why care about our younger brother having sons? I might even have great-grandchildren for all you know."

Ling Chen, noting the improved mood of Ling Chuan, silently sighed in relief and teased, "Always the joker, aren't you? Do you see yourself as Bai Chenxing? Who brought a twin bride, and then she brought a twin husband back to the Bai family..."

Ling Chuan narrowed his eyes, snorting, "What's so great about Bai Chenxing? Just an additional son and a son-in-law?"

"Once I bring Qu Kun back, even Bai Chenxing will have to respect me, addressing me as his father-in-law."

"I heard you faced some humiliation from a girl at our family's establishment?" Ling Chen shifted the topic.

Thinking of Qu Kun, Ling Chuan smiled lightly, "I guess my skills aren't up to her standards."

"That girl is the problem. She's Bai Chenxing's mother-in-law from a foreign realm. Probably been spoiled by Bai Chenxing. She's brash and says whatever she pleases. Truly the fearless type," Ling Chen said, shaking his head in exasperation.

"Do you have a strong opinion about Qu Kun?" Ling Chuan asked, his gaze lowered, fingers around his wine cup.

A chill ran down Ling Chen's spine. Despite Ling Chuan's neutral tone, Ling Chen felt an underlying coldness.

Ling Chen gave an awkward laugh, "I'm just upset on your behalf."

Ling Chuan is a martial saint and a ninth-tier refiner! Although he's popularly known as a nine-star martial master with advanced eighth-tier skills, that's still the pinnacle in Zhongzhou!

If Ling Chuan offered to craft magical artifacts, martial masters would flock to him. Yet Qu Kun looked down on Ling Chuan's skills. While Qu Kun isn't powerful, he sure is audacious.

Ling Chuan chuckled, "It's fine. He may have a point. I should hone my refining skills."

Ling Chen pondered for a moment and then said seriously, "While the Bai family might be influential because of Mu Chen, with our Ling family's background, there's no need to bow down to them or appease a martial master."

Ling Chuan scoffed, "Do you think I'm trying to please the Bai family or Mu Chen?"

Ling Chen furrowed his brows, looking at Ling Chuan in confusion.

Noticing Ling Chen's puzzled expression, Ling Chuan asked, "How much do you know about Bai Chenxing and that Qu Xinyang?"

Ling Chen pondered and replied, "I'm not entirely sure. I just know that Bai Chenxing once misunderstood Qu Xinyang, thinking she had chosen someone else, and left her in the foreign realm until Bai Yanxing intervened."

"Bai Chenxing is quite clueless. His son had been in Zhongzhou for half a year, and he remained oblivious until the Bai family threatened Bai Yanxing. Only then did he realize it was his own son."

"This time, when Qu Kun came from the foreign realm, Bai Chenxing only intervened when the Bai family started clashing with her."

"It's fortunate that Bai Yanxing and Qu Kun have such tenacity. Otherwise..." Ling Chen shook his head with a sigh.

A cold glint flashed in Ling Chuan's eyes, "Bai Chenxing is such a fool. I wonder how he's still alive."

Ling Chuan received a message from the Immortal Pavilion, and upon seeing the image of a ring and Qu Kun, he immediately emerged from seclusion.

Before his departure, Ling Chuan had done a brief investigation on Qu Kun. Due to time constraints, it wasn't thorough.

From the moment he saw Qu Kun's image, Ling Chuan was certain she was the one. Even though he couldn't recall her features distinctly, he recognized her.

Ling Chen hesitated, then warned, "You should know Bai Chenxing, while known to the public as a nine-star martial master, is in fact a martial saint. His potential might be on par with yours."

Ling Chuan nodded, "I'm aware. Him being a martial saint doesn't change the fact that he's a fool."

Ling Chen: "..."

"Why have you suddenly taken an interest in the ruins of the Pill Palace?" Ling Chen inquired.

Ling Chuan replied indifferently, "The Pill Palace seems to have the method to craft the Nine-Tiered Cauldron."

The Nine-Tiered Cauldron is a ninth-tier pill furnace that can enhance the success rate of pill refining.

A refining furnace of such caliber greatly benefits alchemists. After extensive usage, an alchemist's furnace will deteriorate.

Most of the Rank 8 pill furnaces in Zhongzhou come from the Ling family. Even a Rank 8 alchemist wouldn't dare to be arrogant before the Ling family.

"The forging method of the Jiucheng Ding is truly a gem!" Ling Chen couldn't help but exclaim, "However, only in your hands, Seventeenth Brother, would it not be a waste of such a treasure."

Ling Chuan narrowed his eyes. Without the news from the Qixian Pavilion, he wouldn’t be the least bit interested in the crafting method of the Jiucheng Ding.

"Is there tension between the Bai family and the Dan Tower?" Ling Chuan inquired.

Ling Chen nodded and said, "Yes. Mu Chen killed five geniuses of the Ming clan and Zhuang Yu in the Tianji Secret Realm, creating an unbreakable enmity with the Ming clan. Normally, this enmity is between Mu Chen and the Ming clan, not the Dan Tower. But for some reason, the Dan Tower intervened."

Ling Chuan narrowed his eyes, smirking, "What if there's someone from the Ming clan in the Dan Tower?"

Ling Chen was taken aback, his eyes widening, "Surely not..."

Ling Chuan's gaze turned icy, "Why not? Centuries ago, the Ming clan was plotting against the Ling towers of the foreign domain. For such a powerful clan, if they weren't after the Five Towers of Zhongzhou, why would they expend so much effort to conquer the Five Towers of the foreign domain?"

"If the Ming clan is coveting the Five Towers of Zhongzhou, how could there not be members of the Ming clan in them?"

Ling Chen hesitated, "Has the Ming clan's reach really extended so far?"

Ling Chuan said, narrowing his eyes, "It's unclear for now, but we must be vigilant."

Ling Chen pondered, "Initially, the one who started opposing Mu Chen was the Tower Lord of the Dan Tower, Qiu Zhengrong. If the Tower Lord of the Dan Tower is from the Ming clan, then... the Ming clan is truly terrifying."

"It's just a speculation. Perhaps I'm overthinking. Maybe the Dan Tower just envies Mu Chen's advanced alchemy skills," Ling Chuan mused.

"In the Dan Hall Secret Realm, there are five map fragments. Two are with the Dan Tower. Ten people from the Dan Tower, and five from the Bai family will enter. Given the tension between the Dan Tower, Bai family, and Mu Chen, a clash might ensue," Ling Chen speculated with a frown.

Ling Chuan chuckled, "Perhaps."

"We, the Ling family, shouldn’t get involved in the feud between the Bai family and the Ming clan. Seventeenth Brother, when the time comes, we should remain neutral observers," Ling Chen advised.

Ling Chuan smiled. Bai Yanxing was his direct descendant. Carrying Mu Chen's child, how could he remain indifferent?

"I heard that Bai Yanxing's father, Qu Xinyang, has been in a coma?" Ling Chuan inquired.

Ling Chen nodded, "Indeed! There seems to be an issue with him. Bai Chenxing sought the anti-spirit pill for Qu Xinyang. It’s odd. I heard he went to great lengths to persuade the senior elders of the Dan Tower, and when they finally agreed to craft the pill, he declined."

Ling Chen said with a serious expression, "He must have realized something was amiss."

Ling Chen eyed Ling Chuan suspiciously, "Seventeenth Brother, are you particularly interested in Qu Kun? Have you taken a liking to him?"

Ling Chuan just smiled without answering directly, "They're all heading to the Secret Realm. I should be well-informed."

Ling Chen sighed in relief, "I see. I almost thought you had a thing for Qu Kun, haha..."

Ling Chuan looked at Ling Chen with a smirk, "Is there something wrong with Qu Kun?"

Ling Chen pondered, "He's decent looking, but I heard he has a terrible temper. Bai Chenxing was scolded badly by him. Anyone who likes Qu Kun probably has masochistic tendencies, haha..."

Ling Chuan crossed his arms, quietly watching Ling Chen.

Seeing Ling Chuan's expression, Ling Chen suddenly couldn't continue laughing.