Chapter 235 Red Kite Seeks Jade (Part 9)
They then pursued the island to the city lord's mansion.
In the pitch-black dungeon, the magic circle emitted a faint blue light, and a figure huddled in a corner, only weak breathing could be heard.
Jiang Xiang'an stood at the outer edge of the magic array with his sleeves tucked in, and said, "Junior Brother Ning, things have come to this point, why do you still insist on holding on? Jiang Gu has already returned. If he hadn't returned, the patriarch might have opened the seal out of consideration for brotherhood, but now that the patriarch has seen Jiang Gu, there is no possibility of opening the seal anymore."
Ning Shun raised his head, his narrow eyes sharp and cold, and said in a hoarse voice, "Jiang Yinzhong's original sealing formation was correct, but over the years you have had them add to it again and again, even including many evil formations that absorb spiritual energy. If this continues, the spiritual energy on both sides of the passage will become unbalanced, inevitably pouring to one side. At that time, neither side will be able to withstand such a large impact of spiritual energy. If the seal is not broken, there will be widespread suffering. If you really care about the Jiang family, you should tell Jiang Xiangyun as soon as possible."
"That's none of your concern, Junior Brother Ning." Jiang Xiang'an sneered, looking down at him. "There's a reason why you, the eldest disciple of the Spirit Dragon Sect, have been relegated to guarding the seal on Suizhu Island. You really don't know how to be flexible at all. If we don't add a seal, what will happen to all the disciples on our island? The spiritual energy here is thin, and we have no chance with the temple's magical artifacts. We can only get them to distribute spirit stones and magical treasures by using the pretext of adding a seal... Junior Brother Ning, use your brain. We're all in the same boat. With your abilities, you can help us get more."
Ning Shun said, "I will not associate with you petty people."
Jiang Xiang'an shook his head regretfully: "With Wei Feng's example as a warning, why are you so stubborn?"
Ning Shun closed his eyes, expressing his refusal through silence.
Seeing that he was not cooperating, Jiang Xiang'an sneered, "Since that's the case, then Junior Brother Ning will have to stay here. After all, once Jiang Gu appears, the patriarch will no longer care so much about the seal."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Ning Shun covered his mouth and coughed. The magic array was frantically draining his spiritual power. If this continued, he might die within a year... Jiang Xiang'an dared to do this not only because Suizhu Island was too far from Pingze, but also probably because it was at the behest of the Linglong Sect. If only he had known this earlier—
His gaze suddenly sharpened: "Who?!"
Two figures slowly emerged from the shadows.
One of them was dressed in red, tall and handsome, while the other had a cold and imposing look. Ning Shun had caught a glimpse of him on the battlefield of the Temple of War many years ago and the impression was very deep: "Jiang Gu?"
Jiang Ke nodded to him politely: "Fellow Daoist Ning."
"You're actually still alive?" Ning Shun stood up with some difficulty, ignoring the obstruction of the magic array, and gripped the railing tightly. He grasped at it like a lifeline, his tone urgent, "Young Master Jiang, please hurry and tell Patriarch Jiang that if the sealed passage is not opened, the spiritual energy on both sides will become unbalanced, and the spiritual energy will likely pour into Wangyue and Pingze, causing widespread suffering!"
Jiang Gu remained indifferent, while Wei Feng, standing beside him, was even more aloof, twitching the corner of his mouth as he said, "What does this have to do with us?"
Ning Shun looked at Jiang Gu in astonishment: "Seventh Young Master?"
“Fellow Daoist Ning, we cannot believe your one-sided story.” Jiang Gu looked at him. “How can you prove that what you say is true?”
Ning Shun breathed a sigh of relief and solemnly said, "The City Lord's Mansion is located at the center of the sealing formation. Seventh Young Master can find out by trying the Four Directions Formation."
Jiang Gu didn't move, while Wei Feng crossed his arms arrogantly and coldly, and the dungeon was completely silent.
Ning Shun felt a chill run down his spine. Although Jiang Gu had been incredibly powerful in recent years, considering his past reputation for ruthlessness, it was likely true, as Wei Feng had said, that even if countless lives were lost, they wouldn't be held accountable.
"What is the Four Directions Formation?" Jiang Gu asked expressionlessly.
Wei Feng turned to look at him, his arrogant expression still lingering on his face, before turning back to Ning Shun and unconditionally agreeing, "That's right, isn't this a formation you just made up on the spot?"
"..." Ning Shun was strangely silent for a moment. "The Four Harmony Formation is a variation of the Vermilion Bird Formation, Black Tortoise Formation, Azure Dragon Formation, and White Tiger Formation. It can sense extremely subtle fluctuations and flows of spiritual energy, and can also condense spiritual energy during cultivation. This is indeed a formation that I researched, but it is now being used by major sects to train new disciples to control spiritual energy."
He almost forgot that Jiang Gu had not been born for nearly twenty years, and as for his disciple... let's not mention him.
Wei Feng narrowed his eyes in displeasure.
Although Jiang Gu was not proficient in formations, he could easily handle basic formations such as the Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise. After confirming that there was no problem with the Four Directions Formation, he checked it according to Ning Shun's instructions.
Sure enough, the surrounding spiritual energy fluctuations were very strange, sometimes more and sometimes less, and countless arrays were stacked together, creating an extremely chaotic atmosphere.
Seeing that his statement had been verified, Ning Shun breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "How did Seventh Young Master find this place?"
After all, he appeared as soon as Jiang Xiang'an left, so he must have something to ask for.
"I visited the City Lord's Mansion today, but I didn't see Fellow Daoist Ning," Jiang Gu said. "Moreover, there are many strange things in the mansion, so I came to investigate."
Moreover, since their meeting at Shuijing, Jiang Xiangyun had sent him three Vermilion Bird Seal fire talismans in succession, clearly indicating that he had something to say but couldn't elaborate. Therefore, he guessed that it was the sealing formation. Furthermore, it seemed that the infighting within the Jiang family was not much stronger than that within the Linglong Sect—the several family heads who had been sitting firmly on their high positions had fallen one after another, and countless temples and resources had emerged for people to vie for. It would be difficult for the major families to settle down in a hundred or two hundred years.
Jiang Gu glanced at Wei Feng.
Wei Feng understood, formed a hand seal, and then summoned his Mo Dao to slash at the magic array on the dungeon. The mist spread, and the spiritual power fluctuated only slightly for a moment before the magic array that imprisoned Ning Shun disappeared from its original spot.
——
Pingze Continent, the main branch of the Jiang family.
Jiang Xiangyun propped his head up, listening to the commotion in the main hall and the water mirror. He wanted to make a soundproof shield to block out the noise, but countless eyes were watching his every move, so he could only remain silent.
“Patriarch, since Jiang Gu is still alive, he should return to the Jiang family. He is a member of our Jiang family,” an elder said.
“That’s right, he still has more than a dozen apprentices. He should come back and teach them,” someone said. “Otherwise, it won’t sound good to others.”
“Jiang Gu killed Xiao Dan and became famous. If we let him go, we can’t guarantee that he won’t have other ideas and start a branch of the family…” An elder familiar with Jiang Gu’s character was vaguely uneasy. “Patriarch, we should appease and recruit him back.”
"Jiang Gu is ruthless and cunning. Can he have a peaceful life in the Jiang family if he comes back?" Some people disagreed. "Besides, he has an unclear relationship with his monster disciple. He will definitely bring Wei Feng with him when he comes back, making a fool of himself."
"But if Jiang Gu returns, our Jiang family will definitely be able to firmly suppress the Linglong Sect in this Pingze Grand Competition..."
"No, no, Jiang Gu's aptitude is quite poor. His ability to kill Xiao Dan was purely accidental..."
A group of people were making a lot of noise, but finally looked at Jiang Xiangyun, who was sitting silently in the main seat.
Jiang Xiangyun changed his posture and said slowly, "I have already asked Jiang Gu, and he does not want to come back. He wants to stay with his apprentice."
Just as everyone was about to argue, Jiang Xiangyun stood up, smiled, and looked around. He said, "By the way, let me remind you all, my seventh brother is very vengeful. If he finds out that you've taken in so many disciples behind his back, he might kill them all... well, including you."
"I can't beat him."
After saying that, he casually walked away, his hands tucked into his sleeves.
A group of elders were left looking at each other in bewilderment.
Inner Temple.
Jiang Xiangyun was looking at the current map of the two continents of Pingze and Wangyue when a disciple walked in and respectfully said, "Master, there's been another argument in the outer hall."
"Let them be." Jiang Xiangyun didn't care. After studying the map for a long time, seeing that his apprentice hadn't left, he said, "Ask if you want."
"This disciple just doesn't understand. Since you don't want Uncle Jiang to get involved, why did you tell them that Uncle Jiang is still alive?" The disciple was a girl in her early twenties. She was a disciple chosen by Jiang Xiangyun from a collateral branch. Her name was Jiang Conghan, and she was highly regarded by Jiang Xiangyun.
“Even if I don’t say anything, Jiang Gu will definitely get revenge for Wei Feng,” Jiang Xiangyun said with a smile.
“In that case, since Master is currently short-handed, wouldn’t it be perfect to ask Uncle-Master to come back and help?” Jiang Conghan asked.
Jiang Xiangyun shook his head and said, "Jiang Gu is extremely intelligent. When we are in trouble, it is always beneficial to be with him. But now, you have seen what the Jiang family has done to Wei Feng. As long as he returns to the Jiang family, he will definitely take revenge."
“But you have protected Wei Feng for many years,” Jiang Conghan said.
“One thing at a time. Just because he didn’t kill me doesn’t mean he won’t kill others. Now that we’ve finally gained a foothold, what if he kills everyone?” Jiang Xiangyun said jokingly. “His ruthless path is very solid. The Jiang family should be glad that Wei Feng has held him back.”
Jiang Conghan nodded: "Then what about Suizhu Island..."
"I'm too far away to help now, so I can only ask him to investigate." Jiang Xiangyun's gaze fell on Suizhu Island on the map.
"But what if my martial uncle gets angry and breaks all the seals without a second thought? Should we send someone to keep an eye on them?"
“It might be possible for someone else, but not for Jiang Gu,” Jiang Xiangyun said with certainty. “Although he cultivates the Path of Ruthlessness, he has his own principles. If he really breaks the seal… there must be a reason why he has no choice but to do so.”
Jiang Conghan was puzzled. Her master was clearly wary of Jiang Gu, yet inexplicably trusted him. She became increasingly curious about this martial uncle she had never met.
"Master, there is an invitation." Someone outside the hall brought in a gold-embossed invitation.
Jiang Conghan took it and immediately noticed the golden Vermilion Bird family crest on it, with the character "Jiang" written below it.
At the same time, the Jiang family, the Zhou family, the Lin family, the Linglong Sect, and other sects large and small all received the same invitation. The name Jiang Wei at the end of the invitation was particularly eye-catching. When they opened the invitation, they were first shocked, and then their expressions varied.
Jiang Xiangyun raised an eyebrow as he looked at the familiar handwriting.
Seeing that he had folded the invitation, Jiang Conghan asked curiously, "Master, is there something important?"
"Go prepare the gifts; my seventh brother is getting married to a Daoist partner."
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