Chapter 138: If You Have the Guts, Come Settle the Score

Not long after Jiang Yan returned to his sect from the Danya Sect, he was taken on as a disciple by Zhu Xian, a Nascent Soul elder who had long favored him.

Zhu Xian was a man who cherished talent; he did not mind that his disciple’s cultivation base was low or that he had once been rejected by a Spirit Severing expert. Over twenty years had passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, while diligently teaching Jiang Yan, he had also taken on several other disciples.

The two Daoist cultivators who had descended from the flying sword were quite young. The taller one was named Shang Chun, and the shorter one was Lu Kaiyuan; both were at the late stage of Foundation Establishment. Hong Jian had gleaned these details from the shopkeeper’s consciousness, and upon seeing them, she matched the names to the faces immediately.

She reasoned that since they were Jiang Yan’s junior brothers, and were esteemed enough by a Nascent Soul cultivator to be taken as personal disciples, their aptitude likely wasn't inferior to Jiang Yan’s. Reflecting on the fact that Shi Qingxiang had also once been a member of the Xianyun Sect, she truly wondered where this remote sect found so many promising sprouts.

Lu Yanchang didn't think much of it and whispered to Hong Jian, "Since they are fellow disciples, if we capture the juniors, won't the senior come looking for them?"

Hong Jian felt that Lu Yanchang’s methods had become simplistic and crude, likely due to the influence of Jing Xiaoyun. She gave a faint "humph" and said, "It is more likely that a Golden Core senior brother or their Nascent Soul master will come instead."

Based on what she had gathered, Jiang Yan was still stuck at the perfection stage of Foundation Establishment. If two late-stage Foundation Establishment junior brothers went missing, it was easy to see that the likelihood of him coming to lead the charge was slim.

Hearing this, Lu Yanchang realized his suggestion was flawed and quickly added, "Then we’ll lie to them. We’ll say the kid owes us a large sum of money and that we’ve come to collect. We’ll tell them to summon him here."

Thinking back to Jiang Yan’s fearless nature, Hong Jian nodded and said, "That might be worth a try."

Just then, the two young men rushed into the shop. A moment later, they emerged, shouting insults and provocations.

Lu Yanchang laughed. "Regardless of whether we’ve left, they’re determined to save face first. Truly worthy of being disciples of a prestigious sect."

After listening for a while and finding their insults neither clever nor particularly vicious, he grew bored. He instructed Hong Jian, "Don’t get too close this time; I’ll handle this!"

With that, Lu Yanchang revealed himself from the air and landed gracefully before the two men. "What are you shouting about? Who are you two?"

Lu Yanchang’s attire immediately matched the description given by the shopkeeper, and when they saw the ordinary-looking female cultivator standing behind him, the two young men were startled. They had not expected their opponents to be so brazen as to still be waiting there after such a long time.

Shang Chun warily sized the two up. He discovered that, just as the shopkeeper had said, he could not discern their cultivation levels, indicating they were clearly higher than his own and Lu’s. Still, regardless of who they were, he could not allow them to cause trouble at the foot of the Xianyun Sect.

He pinched a spell charm in his hand, ready for combat, and said coldly, "My junior brother and I are disciples under Elder Zhu Xian of the Xianyun Sect. You toyed with the shopkeeper of that store just now—surely you realize that shop is property of our sect?"

Lu Yanchang deliberately pulled a long, sour face. "Elder Zhu Xian’s disciples? Perfect, you’re exactly who we were looking for."

Though the other party was a rogue cultivator, they didn't look like an easy target. It would be best to make the stakes clear and force them to retreat, saving the trouble of a fight while preserving their dignity. Thinking this, Lu Kaiyuan said, "So you two are specifically targeting us? That’s strange. We don’t know you. I don’t know where this grudge comes from. Is there some kind of misunderstanding?"

Lu Yanchang scoffed and sneered, "Don’t think for a second that we rogue cultivators don’t understand the ins and outs of your grand sects. There is a boy named Jiang in your Xianyun Sect who acts incredibly arrogant. I hear he’s a disciple of Elder Zhu Xian. Sister, what was his name again?"

He turned to ask Hong Jian, who was trailing behind, and while the two young men weren't looking, he gave her a wink.

Seeing that Lu Yanchang was playing the fool quite convincingly, Hong Jian played along. "Jiang Yan."

"Right, that’s it—Jiang Yan. Do you two know him? If you do, hurry up and send word to call him here. Tell him his creditors have arrived! If it weren't for the fact that we didn't want to embarrass him and wanted to show him some respect, we would have gone straight to the Xianyun Sect."

"Senior Brother Jiang?" Shang Chun exclaimed. He and Lu Kaiyuan exchanged glances, their expressions quite strange.

Were these two siblings joking? Senior Brother Jiang was known for his integrity and had significant wealth; why would he owe these rogue cultivators anything?

Lu Kaiyuan’s mind raced. *Could it be a romantic debt? But this woman looks so unremarkable—not even half as pretty as Duan Qiurong from the Xianxia Cave. If it is true, what kind of taste does Senior Brother Jiang have?*

He glanced at Hong Jian again and gave his senior brother, Shang Chun, a look. Shang Chun didn't quite understand, so Lu Kaiyuan took the lead. "What debt does Senior Brother Jiang owe you two? Don't just go making wild accusations just because you heard he’s generous."

Lu Yanchang clearly wasn't buying it. "He owes us, that's all. There's no point in telling you; you couldn't pay it off for him anyway. If you really care about him, tell him to come here immediately. Otherwise, we’ll go to the Xianyun Sect to collect, and he’ll be the one losing face."

Hearing this, Lu Kaiyuan became even more convinced of his theory. He thought to himself, *Oh no, Senior Brother Jiang has always been bold and reckless, and now he’s actually got a girl coming to his doorstep. Thank goodness they didn't go straight to the sect; otherwise, he’d be the laughingstock of the entire Xianxia Cave.*

He had heard rumors that the Xianxia Cave favored Jiang Yan and intended to arrange a marriage between the two sects at the upcoming Immortal Epiphyllum Conference. Regardless of whether it would succeed, if Jiang Yan were to cause a scandal now, there was no telling how the other sects would gossip about him.

Thinking of this, Lu Kaiyuan’s expression turned serious. He grabbed Shang Chun and said, "Fine. Since that’s the case, give us your names. We will return to the sect and pass the message along. Senior Brother Jiang will let you know which jokes are acceptable and which are not!"

This simple request stumped Lu Yanchang. He was so unfamiliar with Jiang Yan that he had no idea which name would be the most effective. He had to look back at Hong Jian, thinking that if she couldn't come up with anything, he would just have to continue being unreasonable.

Hong Jian had no names to offer either. Using Qi Xiuning’s name again was clearly out of the question. She hesitated, which appeared to Shang and Lu as though she were finding it difficult to speak, and said, "You must bring him here. We really are well-acquainted. He once told me he had two junior brothers—one surnamed Shang and one surnamed Lu. The one surnamed Shang likes to have a drink or two when he’s bored. Last New Year, he got drunk and called a senior sister surnamed Wang ‘Sister-in-Law,’ and ended up being kicked into the lake by that Golden Core senior sister. As for the one surnamed Lu..."

"Alright, alright! Have some mercy, miss. We’ll go send the message," Lu Kaiyuan interrupted her quickly. This was disastrous—Jiang Yan was truly blinded by beauty, spilling all their secrets!

"That bastard! I was wondering why the whole sect knew about that—so it was that big-mouthed guy! I was punished so severely by Master because of him. Ah! Ah! Junior Brother Lu, stop holding me back! I’m going back to settle the score with him!"

Poor Shang Chun was dragged away by his junior brother, Lu Kaiyuan, and they headed back to the sect in disgrace to deliver the message.

Watching their retreating backs, Hong Jian couldn't help but smile. She pressed her palms together, bowed toward the air, and muttered, "Don't blame me, Jiang Yan. If I hadn't said that, I was afraid you wouldn't come. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ll apologize to you in person later. Haha."

Seeing her happy, Lu Yanchang felt a surge of lightheartedness and teased, "Oh my, that silly boy is going to be absolutely furious. He’ll probably come here and try to fight you to the death."

Hong Jian nodded repeatedly. "Yes, Brother Lu. He also has a Metal Spirit Root and learned the ‘White Rainbow Piercing the Sun.’ When he tries to fight for his life, it will be up to you, as his senior, to show him a thing or two."

Lu Yanchang paused at these words. He asked cautiously, "Are you asking me to mentor him? To teach him the ‘Sword of Wisdom’?"

Hong Jian hesitated. That was indeed what she had hoped for. Years ago, when she wrote the letter asking her brother, Fang Zheng, to seek refuge with Jiang Yan, it was partly out of helplessness and partly out of immense trust in Jiang Yan, despite their brief acquaintance. Perhaps it was a transfer of the friendship she had with Shi Qingxiang. She believed that as long as Jiang Yan saw the letter, he would do his utmost to care for Fang Zheng, regardless of whether she lived or died.

This was a debt of favor she owed, one she could never repay. Yet, Jiang Yan was in urgent need of the "Heart Sword" legacy. He was at the perfection of Foundation Establishment; once he formed his Golden Core, he would be ready to cultivate the "Sword of Wisdom."

But the debt was hers, not Lu Yanchang’s.

Seeing Hong Jian struggling to speak, Lu Yanchang quickly said, "It’s nothing, really. It’s just a cultivation technique. Pfft, look at you—you look like you're about to take my life. That wretch Wen Xuejing has already used this technique to trade for countless benefits. If I teach it to him, I might as well win him over, instead of letting the Xianxia Cave benefit again."

Hong Jian realized the logic in that and felt relieved. She laughed, "What are you talking about? If I were to take your life, I’d just do it. I’d be willing to risk my own life for it, wouldn't I?"

As the two joked, they saw a golden light streaking murderously toward them from the direction of the Xianyun Sect. Hong Jian said, "He’s here."

Lu Yanchang swept his divine sense over the incoming figure and clicked his tongue. "This kid looks absolutely livid!"

The golden light landed in the town, and a man in white stood in the middle of the main street, shouting furiously, "Where are they? I’m here! Get out here at once and let me see which bastard dared to spread rumors about me behind my back!"

Also a disciple under Zhu Xian, Jiang Yan clearly possessed a different spirit than the previous two. The white robe he wore was embroidered with exquisite, large cloud patterns that shimmered with a faint luster—at a glance, one could tell it was no cheap garment. Though he was clearly incensed, it only served to highlight his sharp, phoenix-like brows and star-bright eyes, radiating a vibrant, dashing spirit. Even Lu Yanchang couldn't help but inwardly praise the young man's appearance.

Hong Jian had been only thirteen when she first met Jiang Yan. Seeing him now, she felt a dizzying sense of time flowing backward. Jiang Yan’s features remained the same; save for the fact that he had grown, he was little different from the youth of fifteen or sixteen she remembered.

As Lu Yanchang looked at Jiang Yan, his heart suddenly skipped a beat. For some reason, he recalled the words of He Feng and thought, *Oh no—could this be the "better one" he mentioned?*