The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS
Chapter 213 - 25: Deal Struck

Chapter 213: Chapter 25: Deal Struck

"Chen Qinglin?"

Qingxu furrowed his brows; he could tell that the junior Brother who had been abducted looked like he was on his last breath, but in reality, he was just starved and had not suffered any physical harm.

This inevitably made people suspect: had Gong Ziyu invited Chen Qinglin here for tea? After the tea, to even arrange for someone to notify the family to claim him.

Qingxu had already attributed that anonymous message to the Azure Dragon Association.

"Where is Qingzhou? Go find him quickly!"

Qingxu suddenly thought of another abducted junior Brother, his trusted confidant. In Qingxu’s heart, Qingzhou was not comparable to a Chen Qinglin. The former was a capable lieutenant, while the latter was nothing but a spoiled young master.

It was fine if they got along, and it wouldn’t make a difference if they didn’t. Now in Zhenwu Sect, there was no one who could compare to Qingxu, his position as Sect Leader as stable as Mount Tai.

However, no matter how hard everyone searched, there was no trace of Qingzhou. He had already been turned into a puddle of yellow liquid by the corpse-dissolving water used by Qing Yu’s men and flushed into the rivers; finding him was harder than scaling the heavens.

But Qingxu still refused to give up, turning the entire cave headquarters upside down. Naturally, the result was still no trace of Qingzhou, let alone Gong Ziyu.

Hm... there were traces of Gong Ziyu. In the secret chamber of the cave, a large pile of food bones was left.

Finally, Qingxu gave up the search, and the group returned to the prison where Chen Qinglin was held. At this time, Chen Qinglin remained as before, sprawled on the ground motionless; if it weren’t for his breathing, others would have thought he was already a dead body.

"Where is Qingzhou?" Under the frustration of coming up empty-handed, Qingxu glared menacingly and directly shouted at Chen Qinglin.

However, in Chen Qinglin’s current state, where would he find the strength to answer Qingxu’s question?

Seeing this, Qingxu’s heart ignited with the Fire of Ignorance.

"Junior Brother Qingxu, stay calm! Calm down!" Xuan Wen hurriedly advised.

Hearing the reminder, Qingxu realized that he had been somewhat muddled by the matters concerning Gong Ziyu and Qingzhou and immediately suppressed the rage in his heart, returning his expression to calm, "Apologies, everyone. Qingxu has just advanced to Divine Origin and my Mental State has been somewhat unstable. I lost my composure just now; please forgive me!"

"Not at all, not at all!"

"Senior Brother must have his reasons..."

...

Those present were either junior Brothers of Qingxu or ordinary elders like Xuan Wen of lower status than Qingxu; they all hastily made excuses for Qingxu.

"Junior Brother Qingzhou may have been killed. Fortunately, we have still saved Junior Brother Qing Lin. Let’s take the junior Brother and return to the Sect."

After speaking, Qingxu swept away in his robes.

The people left behind looked at Chen Qinglin, all somewhat at a loss. Qingzhou was likely dead, and Gong Ziyu, having killed several Zhenwu Sect disciples, had completely offended Zhenwu Sect—it was unlikely he would show mercy and spare Qingzhou.

Under these circumstances, Chen Qinglin’s survival was questionable. Gong Ziyu had killed Qingzhou, so why would he leave Chen Qinglin alive, and judging by Chen Qinglin’s condition, he hadn’t suffered much harm.

Many people had come to a conclusion about Chen Qinglin’s survival. It was very possible that Chen Qinglin had already...

In the end, it was Xuan Wen who ordered two disciples, one to carry Chen Qinglin on their back, and the other to look after him along the way.

...

"Shadow King has agreed to your request."

Meng Yunfei’s response came quickly. In just two days, he had arranged to meet Qing Yu yet again. This time, Qing Yu still presented himself as Liu Xuande when he met Meng Yunfei.

"However, before I hand over the ’Xuanji Jade Crystal’ to you, you must prove to me that Gong Ziyu is indeed a young man with potential, not an older middle-aged man or an old crone."

Saying this, Meng Yunfei stared intently at Qing Yu’s face as if expecting him to prove it immediately.

"It seems you have your suspicions." Qing Yu smiled faintly, raising one sleeve and brushing it across his face.

When he showed his face again, it was another visage.

"Indeed, you are Gong Ziyu. The student who left Mountain River Academy four months ago under the pretense of seeking medical treatment—Meng De." A look of comprehension appeared on Meng Yunfei’s face.

"I wonder where I gave myself away that led Mr. Meng to guess my True Body," said Qing Yu with a smile.

"Young Master Meng may have forgotten that when you were in Linchuan Prefecture, you were in the company of Luo Yan and Bu Lengchuan from the Six Gates, who always called you ’Brother Meng.’ It was you three who joined forces to kill Lin Tengyuan, which is why I guessed Gong Ziyu has the surname Meng."

"Although you have separated Meng De and Liu Xuande as two identities, combining who benefits from entering the Northern Zhou with the Shadow Pavilion and questioning which young man with the surname Meng has connections with the Sixth Prince, it’s not difficult to boldly speculate who Gong Ziyu is."

"I have indeed been careless," Qing Yu said, his face full of smiles, showing no annoyance at his identity being exposed.

He truly didn’t need to be annoyed because Qing Yu’s most crucial identity had still not been revealed, and that was enough for him.

"Now that I have proved myself, wouldn’t Mr. Meng mind handing over the ’Xuanji Jade Crystal’?"

"Of course." Meng Yunfei adopted a serious expression, taking a brocade box from his chest, lifting it before Qing Yu, "This is the ’Xuanji Jade Crystal.’"

Meng Yunfei opened the brocade box; against the contrast of red silk, lay an irregular crystal stone, bright and translucent yet emitting a soft, white glow that sparkled within the box.

"This is the ’Xuanji Jade Crystal’..."

As soon as Meng Yunfei opened the box, Qing Yu’s ’Heavenly Person Rebirth Technique,’ which was extremely sensitive to Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, began to accelerate unconsciously. His spiritual sense interacting with the crystal felt it brimming with countless pure Spiritual Energies. These energies would suffice even if Qing Yu used them up to the Innate Nine Layers.

"The ’Xuanji Jade Crystal’ is now in your hands," Meng Yunfei closed the box and handed it to Qing Yu.

"Additionally, Shadow King values Young Master Meng greatly. The Artifact Refining Master Gongye Baiduan, who once resided by Sword God Lake, has agreed to forge a fine sword for Young Master Meng. When the time comes, Young Master Meng can visit Master Gongye at Tianrong Mountain in Hong Province to have your sword forged."

A string of lavish gifts was truly dazzling to Qing Yu. But just as one must eat their fill to match their work, Qing Yu wasn’t blinded by these gifts, "For such generous gifts, what price must I pay?"

"No price is necessary," Meng Yunfei shook his head, "What is a generous gift to you is but a small investment to the Shadow King. A small output, if it fails, it’s a minor loss; if successful, the rewards are great. You just owe a favor."

"A debt of favor is hardest to repay, by then perhaps it’s I who will be at a loss."

Qing Yu burst into loud laughter, "But now, I am the one reaping a huge profit. Shadow King isn’t afraid of losing, and what should a small fry like me fear?"

"Once the Azure Dragon Association accepts an order, the mission must be completed within seven days. Seven days from now, I will deliver Xie Lang’s head to you."