Chapter 139: Bad News, Good News

Lu Yanchang whispered with ill intent, "That kid looks quite arrogant. Let me go and size him up!"

Hong Jian hurriedly stopped him. "Don't, Brother Lu. There are too many people here; let's lure him away."

Lu Yanchang released his divine sense and let out a cold snort, which successfully intimidated the countless prying eyes hidden in the shadows. He then transmitted his voice directly to Jiang Yan: "Kid, if you have the guts, follow me!"

Jiang Yan looked around and saw a man and a woman standing at a distant street corner. The unremarkable-looking female cultivator locked eyes with him and waved. It was clearly them. The pair turned and walked away, their pace leisurely, clearly waiting for him.

Jiang Yan followed them out of the town. He stopped before they reached a more secluded area and said, "If you have something to say, speak now. I won't fall for your petty tricks."

Only then did Lu Yanchang realize that while Jiang Yan was brash in temperament, he was not reckless.

Hong Jian said, "I will speak to him." She then used voice transmission: "Jiang Yan, an old acquaintance from the Dan-Ya Sect has something urgent to ask you. It is too crowded here; please, take a few more steps with us."

Jiang Yan paused, stunned for a long moment before replying in surprise, "Fang Hongjian?"

"It is me," she replied. "Let's shake off our tails first." She knew that Ji Youyun must be searching for her like a madman, so she could not be too cautious. She signaled to Lu Yanchang, "Brother Lu, find a place where there is no one."

Lu Yanchang deployed his flying artifact. Seeing that Jiang Yan was indeed following, he decided to stir up trouble. He turned his head and shouted loudly, "How dare you, disciple of the Xian-Yun Sect! You owe a debt and refuse to pay, yet you act so arrogant. Come, let us find a place to settle our accounts. If you dare not follow, I will go straight to the Xian-Yun Sect to demand justice!"

Jiang Yan grimaced. He was extremely astonished to hear that the female cultivator ahead was truly Fang Hongjian of the Dan-Ya Sect. He ignored Lu Yanchang’s attempts to smear his reputation and secretly thought, "Didn't she get taken away by the people from the Demon-Suppressing Prison at Huanhua Hall many years ago? How did she end up looking like this? And her cultivation level—why can’t I see through it?"

Lu Yanchang and Hong Jian led Jiang Yan to an isolated spot. After landing their artifacts, Hong Jian asked impatiently, "Jiang Yan, have you seen my younger brother?" Having revealed her identity and seeing Jiang Yan’s reaction of profound surprise, she felt a vague sense of dread.

As she feared, Jiang Yan’s reaction made her heart sink to the bottom of the abyss. He looked bewildered and asked in return, "Your brother? That crybaby? I haven't seen him. Wait, are you really Fang Hongjian? Why do you look like this? Where have you been all these years?"

Hong Jian’s face turned deathly pale. She no longer had the capacity to answer his questions; she only thought in despair, "It’s over. Twenty years. Fang Zheng has been missing for twenty years. Where could I possibly find him now?"

The thought that her brother might have met with an accident on the road—twenty years later, he likely would have turned to dust—made her body go limp. Her legs refused to obey her, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.

Seeing this, Lu Yanchang quickly said, "Don't panic, don't panic. Perhaps he was simply delayed by something. I will help you look; we will surely find him."

Though he offered these words of comfort, he lacked confidence himself. What kind of errand could take twenty years to complete? In this treacherous continent, her brother Fang Zheng was likely in grave danger.

Hong Jian’s eyes turned red. She said with a trembling voice, "Jiang Yan, twenty years ago, many things happened to the Dan-Ya Sect. My master and senior brothers were murdered by villains. I was in such a rush to avenge them that I couldn't look after my brother. I wrote a letter and told him to take it to you."

Jiang Yan was startled, finally understanding the sequence of events. To others, such a request would be a burden, but to Jiang Yan—given that he and Hong Jian had only met a few times—this was a sign of immense trust and a validation of his character. He immediately said, "I have heard from my seniors about you killing Jing Li; it is truly admirable. Our sect leader felt great regret that you could not escape safely at the time. I would have welcomed your brother with open arms had I known, but I truly know nothing of this. Please, don't worry yet. Perhaps that kid—what was his name again?"

"Fang Zheng," Hong Jian said hoarsely.

"Right. Could it be that Fang Zheng remembered our past conflicts and was unwilling to come to me, so he went elsewhere instead?"

This was a possibility, and the best one at that. Hong Jian desperately hoped it were true. She struggled to recall the words and actions of her brother when they parted, but she had to admit that her mind had not been on him at the time, and she had completely neglected his emotional state.

The child had clearly not wanted to go to the Xian-Yun Sect. Realizing this, Hong Jian was filled with regret: "If only I had been more patient, spoken better of Jiang Yan and the Xian-Yun Sect to him, or even taken the time to escort him part of the way, things would not have come to this."

She took a deep breath, trying to steady her emotions, and apologized to Jiang Yan: "I am truly sorry for involving you in this without even a proper greeting. I must rush to the place where we parted twenty years ago to try my luck and see if there are any clues. I will come to thank you personally when I return."

Jiang Yan urged, "Wait, you just arrived, don't rush off. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Hong Jian bit her lip and said, "If you receive any news of Fang Zheng, please be sure to let me know."

"That goes without saying. How can I reach you?"

Hong Jian hesitated. Given her current situation, it was not convenient to leave contact information for Jiang Yan.

Lu Yanchang, having observed their conversation and seeing that it was nothing more than a meeting between acquaintances, realized he had overthought things. He suggested, "If you go looking now, isn't that like looking for a needle in a haystack? So many years have passed; your brother is no longer a child. While you are looking for him, he might be looking for you. The news that the Demon-Suppressing Prison has been breached has not yet spread. Why don't we help spread it? For one, it will embarrass Ji Youyun, and for another, if your brother hears it, he will realize you have escaped and might try to contact Jiang Yan."

Hong Jian’s eyes brightened at this. "That is a brilliant idea," she praised. This was the Lu Yanchang she knew from the prison—clever and experienced in the ways of the world.

Having regained her composure, she turned to Jiang Yan, who was looking at her with concern. "Brother Lu and I will stay in the town we were just in for now."

Jiang Yan listened to their exchange and pieced together their situation. He pondered for a moment and said, "Staying there is not as good as coming with me to the Xian-Yun Sect. With your current appearance, even your acquaintances won't recognize you. Many people from various sects have arrived on our mountain, so two new faces won't attract much attention. It is the perfect opportunity to spread news."

Hong Jian was tempted. Suddenly, Jiang Yan paused and added, "You probably wouldn't guess who the Fu Tu Sect sent this time, would you? They sent one Golden Core expert and one peak Foundation Establishment cultivator. You know the female cultivator—she used to be from your Dan-Ya Sect. Her name is Qi Xiuning."

Hong Jian was shocked. "Qi Xiuning? She has returned?"

She felt a pang of unease; she had recently been impersonating this old friend from her youth. Qi Xiuning was a personal disciple of the Spirit Severing expert Dai Mingchi and had performed a great service by retrieving the *Great Calamity Sutra* from the Demon Realm. Surely, Dai Mingchi would treat her well.

If she was Dai Mingchi's disciple, then their next meeting would be as enemies. Hong Jian wondered if Jiang Yan knew the tragic news of his good friend, Shi Qingxiang, given that he didn't seem to know that her brother hadn't come to find him. But then again, if he had seen Qi Xiuning, how could he not have asked about Shi Qingxiang, who had also become Dai Mingchi’s disciple and had been missing for so many years?

She hesitated and asked, "Then, what about Shi Qingxiang..."

To her surprise, Jiang Yan replied, "You just escaped, so you wouldn't know. It turns out that Brother Shi and the others were taken in as personal disciples by a Spirit Severing expert. There was no news of them afterward because they were sent to the 'Sky Curtain' to accomplish a major task for the demonic cultivators. They only returned recently, and of the six, only Qi Xiuning and Brother Shi survived."

"Shi Qingxiang is still alive?" Hong Jian gasped.

Jiang Yan looked at her strangely. "Yes. I asked Qi Xiuning why Brother Shi didn't come, and she said he was a genius who had reached the late Golden Core stage upon returning from the Demon Realm. However, he contracted a strange illness in the Demon Realm and is currently recuperating at the Dan-Ya Sect." He looked worried. "Do you think he is very ill? Why else would he stay at the Dan-Ya Sect instead of returning to the Fu Tu Sect? I hope it's not because the distance was too far for him to endure."

Hong Jian’s mind was in chaos. Unable to make sense of it all, she asked, "Has anyone from the Dan-Ya Sect arrived? You can just ask them."

Jiang Yan replied, "They haven't arrived yet, but they should be here in a day or two."

Lu Yanchang found it all very strange. A few Immortal Epiphyllum flowers were enough to refine beauty-preserving pills, which might attract female cultivators, but why were all the major sects gathering in such force? He suspected there was more to it. Where cultivators gathered in large numbers, there was bound to be some hidden opportunity.

With this in mind, Lu Yanchang was even more eager to go to the Xian-Yun Sect to see for himself. He urged Hong Jian, "Brother Jiang’s suggestion is excellent. We cannot hide from these sects forever. Brother Jiang has a straightforward personality and is the disciple of a Nascent Soul elder; with his protection, we will be perfectly safe. You can rest assured."

It sounded as if Hong Jian would be questioning Jiang Yan's character if she refused. Hong Jian glared at Lu Yanchang helplessly and asked Jiang Yan, "Under what identity should we enter the Xian-Yun Sect, and where will we stay?"

Jiang Yan was indifferent. "It doesn't matter. Friends visit me often and usually just stay in my courtyard. Since you are rogue cultivators, you can make up any identity you like. It just so happens that the Immortal Epiphyllum flowers in our back garden are in bloom, so everyone will just assume you came for that."