Please, Young Master, Slay the Demon!
Chapter 529 - 2: Jade Dragon Pond Event [ Vote for monthly ticket! ] _1

Chapter 529: Chapter 2: Jade Dragon Pond Event [ Vote for monthly ticket! ] _1

"I don’t get it."

Feng Chaoyang was looking at the grand pavilion in the distance, expressing his genuine confusion.

Their Heavenly King Sect arrived early, and after a thorough selection process, they finally picked this courtyard, believing it was the best accommodation.

It was indeed at first.

But how can someone reside in the royal pavilion?

Are you by any chance royalty?

Even the royal family doesn’t receive this type of treatment so casually, right?

Compared to the palace on the mountainside, their own courtyard suddenly seemed like a guardhouse where an old watchman lived, diminishing their initial excitement.

Normally, cultivators wouldn’t mind.

But comparison is the thief of joy.

Not only was the Heavenly King Sect perplexed, but even the members of the Shu Mountain Sect couldn’t understand. They all looked at the young palace maid with suspicion.

"This is against the rules, isn’t it?" Wang Xuanling frowned, "I’ve attended several Immortal Sect Conventions and I’ve never heard of anyone staying in the royal pavilion..."

"In the past it was not allowed, but this time there were special instructions from the emperor." The palace maid turned towards Chu Liang, bowed and said, "When the royal younger brother arrives, he should be accommodated in the royal pavilion."

Oh, right.

He almost forgot about that.

It then dawned on Chu Liang that his status actually mattered. After all, spending his time in casual sects outside the world, no one cared about what title the imperial court bestowed upon him. The rewards granted to him previously were mere ownership of a few stores, something he didn’t pay much attention to.

But upon arriving at Yu Capital City, he realized his identity could be rather useful.

"Sorry for the trouble." Chu Liang sheepishly smiled, paused for a moment, before saying, "Thank you, brother."

Subsequently, under the watchful eyes of the disciples from the Heavenly King Sect, the members of Shu Mountain Sect climbed to the summit and entered the grand royal pavilion. Other disciples from the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands were soon accommodated, so the Heavenly King Sect could once again feel superior afterward.

Although the royal pavilion on Emperor Qiu was relatively plain compared to the grand hall in the Imperial City, it was still splendidly decorated when compared with the row of houses outside. The pavilion didn’t flaunt its grandeur ostentatiously. The court yard within was adorned with artificial mountains and rivers, exuding a deep and elegant vibe, all while being a sight to behold.

After escorting the group, Lao Fangrong and others left. The servants were originally serving in the royal pavilion. However, to avoid disturbing the cultivators from Shu Mountain Sect, they all withdrew.

Everyone from Shu Mountain Sect had no objections either. After all, having eunuchs and palace maids attending to them at all times would make them feel uncomfortable.

Not long after they had settled in, they had visitors.

"Wow, so you’re staying in the royal pavilion? That’s such a high honor." Shock was apparent on the visitor’s face after he entered.

Wang Xuanling, along with four of his disciples, received him in the grand hall and greeted, "Junior Brother Chen, it’s been a long time."

The visitor was named Chen Xuanlu, the sect leader of Xuanxin Sect located outside Yu Capital City. He too was once a disciple of Shu Mountain, and since he joined two generations after Wang Xuanling, he adopted the honorific of junior brother.

"Senior Brother Wang, it has already been twelve years." Chen Xuanlu was dressed in a robe adorned with cloud patterns, wearing a high crown, his countenance gentle. He truly embodied the spirit of a Taoist Immortal.

Behind him followed three young people, two boys and a girl, all of them apparently quite young.

Everyone sat on the ground around the table that was set up in the hall.

"Our Shu Mountain Sect’s younger generation is doing pretty well." Chen Xuanlu looked at several young disciples and laughingly said, "I was worried for a while if we couldn’t achieve any outstanding results this time, what will we do then? But that worry gradually eased when I continued to hear about our Shu Mountain Sect’s new generation making their names known."

"The young people from your Xuanxin Sect are also quite good" Wang Xuanling took a look at the people behind Chen, and despite his real feelings, said so.

"Hehe." Chen Xuanlu chuckled, "These few naughty disciples of mine are taking part in the Immortal Sect Convention. I didn’t expect them to achieve much here, but rather gain some experience."

...

Large immortal sects like those from the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands all have disciples who leave their mountains and fight their way through the world, eventually establishing their own sects.

If one were to count seriously, the Shu Mountain Sect should have the most descendant sects. After all, it had been the first Immortal Sect for thousands of years, and the flourishing of its branches was inevitable.

However, such small sects often disappear after only a few generations. Even if they manage to persist for hundreds to thousands of years, their connection with the original sect becomes distant, gradually becoming independent entities.

Therefore, those with closer connections usually emerge only in the past one or two generations, like Chen Xuanlu.

Every year before the Immortal Sect Convention, he would bring his disciples to greet the Shu Mountain delegation, getting to know each other. Virtually every small sect with its roots established does this. When meeting at the Immortal Sect Convention, they can mutually take care of each other.

It’s somewhat of a customary visit.

The Xuanxin Sect, being a small sect itself, doesn’t have a long-lasting lineage to show. Around Yu Capital City, these small sects are as common as hairs on an ox. Its main business is to take in the offspring of the officials and wealthy who are not overwhelmingly talented.

These youngsters typically cannot enter the large immortal sects on talent alone and don’t have the connections to gain admission into Ascending Dragon Academy or the Imperial-aligned Chonglou Temple. If their elders wish for them to cultivate, their only option is to find a nearby small sect in the vicinity of Yu Capital City, where they reluctantly start learning cultivation techniques and divine skills.

Their goal isn’t to have grand achievements, but merely to maintain their health and to extend their lives. That’s why their masters don’t begrudge them for not being wholeheartedly committed to their cultivation.

A dedicated cultivator wouldn’t willingly spend time teaching disciples with inferior talent, but as long as they’re given enough, everything is negotiable.

If Chen Xuanlu comes across a young person with extraordinary talent, he would recommend them to Shu Mountain and not teach them himself.

There are many like him, stuck at the Sixth Realm’s peak. The difficulty of breaking through to Heaven’s Gate is extraordinary, and one might grow old from bitter cultivation without making any progress. It’s better to use this time to take in disciples and make a fortune, enjoying the remainder of their life.

They are open-minded about it.

For these high-status disciples, cultivation is especially expensive, with a large portion of the cost being spent here. Upon joining, they must pay a considerable amount. The cultivation techniques and resources provided by the sect are even more costly than elsewhere. Even those four disciples chosen to participate in the Immortal Sect Convention might not be truly outstanding in their cultivation. They may have just gifted their master more generously.

There surely exist good places in the world willing to fully foster disciples without payment, but if your gift is insufficient, those good places do not want you, as such your only option is to join these small sects that want to make a gold mine.

"One must not be constantly strict with their disciples. The Immortal Sect Convention is almost upon us, we need to give them some confidence." Wang Xuanling said to Chen Xuanlu.

"It’s not that I’m always criticizing, my disciples have good potential, they just like to play around." Chen Xuanlu laughed, "Look, I mentioned early today that I would bring them to greet everyone at Shu Mountain, a moment ago when I went looking for them, one was missing. I have no clue where he has run off to twiddle his thumbs."

"It may be that Little Liu had something arise at home..." the female disciple spoke quietly in defense.

Chen Xuanlu gave her a glare, and she quickly lowered her head.

"This year’s Immortal Sect Convention is different from the past, Yu Capital City might not be too peaceful. Disciples should be warned to be careful." Wang Xuanling nodded.

They had already informed the Regent Residence about the news of possibly having the Western Sea Demon Sect take advantage of this opportunity to make trouble. However, they were still in no position to spread the news, in order not to alert the enemy. The specifics of the Demon Sect’s operations were still unknown, so he could only offer this reminder.

"You’re right about that." Chen Xuanlu gravely nodded, "Even with the Immortal Sect Convention not having started yet, odd events have been frequently occurring within Yu Capital City."

"Oh?" Wang Xuanling asked, "What sort of odd events?"

Chen Xuanlu looked around, then lowered his voice and said, "I will not mention the others, let me just speak of the instance I personally encountered, which was highly peculiar."

...

"At the foot of the mountain where my Xuanxin Sect is located, there is a small pond, called the ’Jade Dragon Pond’." he began narrating slowly.

The Jade Dragon Pond got its name due to its clear turquoise water and its banks that meander like a coiled dragon. The name sounds appealing, but in reality, it’s not large. Just like Emperor Qiu is just a small mound, compared to true large lakes, the Jade Dragon Pond is merely a puddle.

"One day, villagers from nearby suddenly came to seek me, claiming that the Jade Dragon Pond had been gushing out blood for several days in a row. They asked me to take a look."

If Chen Xuanlu set up his sect in this populated area outside of Yu Capital City, he inevitably had to interact with the neighboring villagers.

The Jade Dragon Pond serves as the villagers’ daily source of water; its repeated gushing of blood had startled many. Having a cultivator at their doorstep, they did not enter the city to request the help of the Regent Residence. Instead, they first sought the Xuanxin Sect.

Chen Xuanlu didn’t refuse and immediately agreed to help.

"I entered the water with a pinch of my talisman and quickly discovered that indeed, the water was heavily tinged with red. Tracking it down, I found that all the blood was gushing out from an underwater cavern. I entered and found a coffin from which the blood was continuously exuding. It was a strange sight."

"Thinking it to be the work of some evil spirit, I brought the coffin up." Chen Xuanlu continued, "Once on the bank under the sunshine, the coffin didn’t exude blood anymore. In front of held witnesses, I opened the coffin."

"Inside was the corpse of a woman, appearing as if she were alive. The time of her entry remains unknown to us, but her peaceful expression resembled one in sleep."

At this point, his expression became a bit tense, seemingly recalling something ominous.

"Just by this, it wasn’t considered abnormal, but one of our disciples who had once accompanied his parents to a banquet in the palace recognized her. This corpse’s figure and appearance..."

"Were exactly the same as Empress Wu!"