Chapter 119: Returning to Their Sects, Paying to Ease Suspicions

The disciple recruitment concluded smoothly. Qin Xiao originally expected Su Lin and Cang Xing to come looking for him as well, but unexpectedly, not a single other person showed up before the gathering dispersed.

“Master, we’ll head back first then. See you at the Spirit Medicine Valley secret realm.”

Luo Yunshuang still felt a lingering reluctance, but since the secret realm was still over ten days away, all of them had to return to their respective sects to prepare.

The Disciple Exchange would also take place only after the secret realm, meaning they could only spend these next ten-odd days back at the Mysterious Yin Sect.

“Master, I must take my leave as well. If I’m away for too long, the Elder and my older brother will grow suspicious.”

Cang Chen also stood up to bid farewell. Having sneaked out to come here, he could not afford to stay away for long.

“Off you go. See you at Spirit Medicine Valley.”

Since the disciple recruitment was complete, Qin Xiao did not press them to stay. Today, they too had to return to the Tianyuan Sect.

With that, the three newly accepted disciples departed one by one.

“Master, you actually went so far as to give them Saint Origin Spirit Fruit? Do you have any idea what the consequences will be if word leaks out?”

While Lin Shimeng had held her tongue earlier, now that only the three of them remained, she finally could not hold back any longer.

Leaving aside how precious such an item was, once others caught wind of it, it was enough to invite a fatal disaster.

“I’ve considered that too. Don’t worry. I have my reasons for being confident.”

Naturally unable to mention the system’s mandatory functions, Qin Xiao could only claim he had everything under control.

“Let’s hope so. Since you’re confident, I won’t say any more.”

Though Lin Shimeng still felt a sense of indignation, she realized there was little else she could say.

In the past, she certainly would have reprimanded Qin Xiao, demanding to know why he hadn’t contributed such a treasure to the sect. Now, however, she couldn’t even be bothered to care.

“Let’s head back as well.”

With those words, Qin Xiao stood up to leave.

Once Qin Xiao and his group departed, a figure stepped out from Heaven No. 2 Room.

“So the brat really is in cahoots with the other two sects! He actually cost my family over a billion. Just you wait, kid. It turns out that whole recruitment display earlier was deliberately put on for my benefit, making me think they’d fallen out while they were actually cutting deals behind the scenes.”

The speaker was none other than Yu Shaoqing. His father had assigned him a task just yesterday: keep an eye on Qin Xiao and find out what kind of background the brat truly had. New chapters come out on novelping . com first.

Yu Shaoqing disliked Qin Xiao anyway, so he accepted the task. When he heard that Qin Xiao had gone to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion that morning, he followed at once. The private room was soundproofed, so he did not know what they had discussed. But judging by how the other three looked when they left, their talks had not broken down. To him, that meant they had reached an agreement earlier and had come to split the proceeds.

After Yu Shaoqing left, another person emerged from Heaven No. 3 Room.

“Perhaps I can team up with Pure Yang City. Facing Qin Xiao’s current strength, with Yun Man and Lin Shimeng as well, would be difficult on my own. From what Yu Shaoqing said, this fellow also seems to have dealings with the other two sects.”

The person stepping out of Heaven No. 3 Room was Fang Xiuxian, representing Tianyi City. He too had come looking for Qin Xiao, but arriving a step behind Yu Shaoqing, he had been forced to take Room Three.

Neither man had activated his own room’s soundproofing, so both could hear what happened in the corridor.

Matters concerning the secret realm had already been settled the previous night, so all major factions chose to depart for their sects today.

Outside the gates of Pure Yang City, the Pure Yang Sect, the Mysterious Yin Sect, and the Tianyuan Sect all chose to leave at the same time.

Though the Pure Yang Sect was close enough that they could have returned the night before, since this was Pure Yang City, they practically counted as half-hosts and could hardly leave early. Thus, they chose to depart alongside the other two sects out of courtesy.

“Brother Kui, thank you for yesterday. Please accept this small token as compensation.”

Catching sight of Gong Yuankui, Qin Xiao stepped forward and handed him a Storage Bag.

“Brother Qin is too polite. You won fair and square through your own strength; why should you thank me?”

Declining to take it, Gong Yuankui acknowledged Qin Xiao’s prowess.

“Brother Kui, don’t mock me. Just take it. If you won’t accept it for yourself, then treat it as compensation for the losses suffered by your sect.”

Qin Xiao pressed the bag into Gong Yuankui’s hands. He knew he had only barely won after taking advantage of all the concessions Gong Yuankui had made. He could hardly claim to have won by strength alone.

“Since Brother Qin insists on being so courteous, I will accept it on behalf of the sect.”

Seeing how persistent Qin Xiao was, Gong Yuankui found it difficult to refuse further. Whatever the contents might be, he would simply treat them as restitution for the sect.

“This… so much?”

Gong Yuankui had expected only ten or twenty million Spirit Stones. Instead, there were a hundred thousand Middle Grade Spirit Stones and a thousand drops of Spirit Liquid.

“It’s not much. I earned it yesterday. Without your concession, I wouldn’t have earned so much. You deserve it.”

What Qin Xiao gave was roughly equivalent to what he had given his own disciples, omitting only the Saint Origin Spirit Fruit, a treasure he dared not casually toss about.

“Second Elder, this disciple dares not keep such a sum. It should be turned over to the sect to help make up for our losses.”

Gong Yuankui had seen plenty of wealth, but Qin Xiao’s gift was simply too much. It should be enough to compensate for the five lost spots.

“What is it? Making such a fuss over nothing.”

Han Mingyuan took the Storage Bag with a disdainful look. This chapter was copied from novelping(.)com without permission.

Having watched Qin Xiao trick Gong Yuankui into abandoning all his advantages during yesterday’s duel, Han Mingyuan held a deep grudge against the youth. If not for the unseemliness of bullying a junior, he would have loved to thrash Qin Xiao himself.

“Hm? So much?”

Yet the moment Han Mingyuan peered into the Storage Bag, his expression shifted in surprise. The kid had actually offered this much compensation?

“Not bad. You know how to behave, lad. We’ll forget what happened yesterday. I think you have considerable talent. I admire you.”

Stowing the Storage Bag away instantly, Han Mingyuan completely flipped his attitude, looking at Qin Xiao with newfound warmth.

“What is that old ghost Han playing at? Why the sudden change of heart? Did Qin Xiao slip him some incredible treasure?”

Watching Han Mingyuan’s abrupt turnaround, the Mysterious Yin Sect’s Great Elder, Wei Jian, was completely baffled. Moments ago, the man had looked ready to tear Qin Xiao apart; now he was showering him with admiration?

“Never mind. Regardless of what Qin Xiao handed over, if it smooths things out between us and the Pure Yang Sect, it’s all to the good.”

Though curious, Lin Tiancheng decided not to press the matter. Securing a strong relationship with the Pure Yang Sect mattered far more than anything else, seeing as they remained the premier power in Qingzhou.

After a few more rounds of casual pleasantries, each sect’s contingent finally set off for their respective homes.

Along the journey, Lin Tiancheng found himself brimming with questions, though he hardly knew how to broach the subject. Even after summoning his daughter to his side, he could pry nothing out of her.

After they returned to the sect, Lin Tiancheng could finally no longer hold his questions back.

“Qin Xiao, even if you cannot cultivate, what on earth is going on with your Body Refinement? The Seventh Elder never displayed the slightest sign of practicing body techniques. Furthermore, the resources you throw around far exceed anything the Seventh Elder possessed back then. I know you’re harboring secrets, but must you keep every single detail hidden? And up to now, our Tianyuan Sect hasn’t seen any benefit from your windfalls. Don’t you think it’s time you shared a bit of that with your own sect?”

Lin Tiancheng had been investigating Qin Xiao all along. The young man spent Spirit Stones without a thought, and his daughter and Yun Man even used Spirit Liquid to recover. Such lavish resources could not possibly have come from the Seventh Elder.

“Take this. It’s half of my entire fortune. Since the Sect Leader has gone out of his way to protect me, I can’t afford to be stingy.”

Qin Xiao handed Lin Tiancheng a Storage Bag. It held the same contents as Gong Yuankui’s: a hundred thousand Middle Grade Spirit Stones and a thousand drops of Spirit Liquid.

“So much? I still underestimated you… Very well, I won’t ask where you got it. Since you’re handing over half your wealth to the sect, I’ll make sure nothing touches you.”

Staring at the contents of the pouch, Lin Tiancheng felt a sudden urge to leap into the air, yet he managed to maintain his composure. As Sect Leader, he had seen plenty of grand spectacles in his time.

Fortunately, the merchant association’s people had placed the bets, so only Ling Ruoxue knew that Qin Xiao had won several hundred million Spirit Stones. Had Lin Tiancheng known, he would never have believed Qin Xiao’s claim that this was half his wealth.

Lin Tiancheng did suspect that Qin Xiao had received a share. Qin Xiao had gone to Ling Ruoxue yesterday, after which the merchant association placed its bets. But no one had seen him give her Spirit Stones, so Lin Tiancheng assumed he had merely provided information and received a small cut. It turned out to be quite a lot: if half was worth over a hundred million, his share must have been over two hundred million.

Qin Xiao now had ties to the Immortal Dao Merchant Association and a good relationship with the Pure Yang Sect. More importantly, he had Ye Qiuyue, a Body Integration cultivator, protecting him. He could practically do as he pleased in Qingzhou.

This strengthened Lin Tiancheng’s resolve to protect Qin Xiao.